Two Halves of a Whole
by Darkened Memories
Summary: Kaoru is a troubled young woman on the run from a shadowy group that performed experiments on her. Kenshin is a blackwinged assassin, indebted to her father. Their futures are entwined,but can Kaoru summon the courage to embrace her fate? KxB, MxA, SxM
1. Chapter I

Okay, sorry for the wait:) I've added a few more paragraphs to it at the end, so if you've already read it, you can skip down to the end of the chapter.  
I would have posted this sooner... but someone threw out my entire set of notes for the story... weeps loudly So please bear with me as I try to finish this.

**Disclaimer:** No, in truth I don't own ruroken-I just use the characters for my own wicked plots--I mean stories, nice-stories-that-don't-harm-the-characters, yeah...

**--Two Halves of a Whole--**

The darkened skies were violently ripped open by the jagged flashes of hot white lightening. Rain dripped down from the gaping wounds caused, filling the dark streets beneath. Tall dark, sentinel-like buildings stood row upon row, presenting an intimidating spectacle to the viewer. Smaller buildings shoved against each other, trying in vain to create more room for themselves. The streets and sidewalks were covered with litter of all sorts and both looked equally worse for the wear that the past eighty-two years had brought them. Covered in pot-holes, some deep and some small, you would have to be extremely careful as you walked down these roads to avoid tripping or falling.

Unfortunately for Kamiya Kaoru, today she was just not being careful. Fortunately she almost tripped over a small pothole, causing her to merely lose a tiny portion of her balance. Which was just enough to cause her to fall as she over-balanced when seeking to correct herself, the momentum forcing the girl backwards onto the street to land with a small splash of rain water.

Cursing softly, she stood up quickly and tried to brush off some of the water. Her old, tattered coat was soaking wet along the bottom, though considering the rain, it never was really dry to begin with. Her worn and patched skirt was in the same sopping condition as her coat, but fortunately her blouse wasn't wet. At least, it wasn't too wet in the areas the her jacket hadn't been soaked through.

Clinging to a tiny purse that looked like it had seen better days at least five years ago, Kaoru tried to be a little more careful in her steps.

She glared up at the sky as another bolt of lightning and roar of thunder caused her to jump. "Stupid weather, stupid teachers, stupid-" she never finished her list as she stopped to stare at something that floated soggily down.

Before the wind could blow it out of reach, like it had done to her hat earlier, she reached out and caught it deftly between her thumb and forefinger. It was a feather, but it wasn't like the ones that she saw everyday. It was almost as long as her skirt, which started at her waist and ended right above her knees, and it was black, silky, even being damp it was a pretty feather.

Smacking herself upside the head mentally, she stuffed the feather as best she could into her purse and continued walking. If she wanted to make it home before night fell, she'd have to rant about the feather at home.

Rushing along, she failed to notice a pair of violet-amber swirled eyes watching her from atop one of the many roofs.

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Minutes later found Kaoru climbing wearily up the steps of an apartment complex. The cement steps looked unpleasant and cold, just another reminder of why she wanted to leave.

Entering the building, she marched quickly to the stairs and began climbing them, wincing slightly at every creak and groan it issued forth.

As soon as that flight of stairs ended, she turned and began on the next. Her room was located at the very top of the building, which meant it was less expensive as most people were not willing to walk all the way to the top. The apartment complex didn't have an elevator, not like they'd be able to use it even if it was there.

Disgruntled, tired, and stressed, Kaoru needed the one thing that always managed to get her through the day... a large cup of dark, steaming coffee. She dropped her purse and coat on the floor and made her way to the tiny kitchen.

Deciding on instant coffee, the one luxury she could afford herself, she waited impatiently for the microwave to finish. Feeling extremely grateful to her old neighbors for having left her the appliance when they had left the city, she bent forward and dropped her head onto the counter. Drumming her fingers impatiently on the same counter, she watched as the seconds ticked down.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

A loud crash of thunder startled her as she was expecting the beeping sound of her microwave timer instead.

Deciding to postpone her coffee for a minute, she walked over to the somewhat dirty glass door that led to a tiny balcony. She ran delicate fingers that hard work had not yet managed to corrupt, over the balcony's rusty iron rail.

Another blinding flash of lightning and a cacophony of thunder erupted directly overhead. The raven-haired beauty jumped and thought that right now was a really good time to get back to her coffee.

A soft sound behind her erased these thoughts and caused the hair on the back of her neck to rise.

She turned around slowly, sapphire-blue eyes wide in her pale face. A muffled shriek ripped itself from her throat as she saw what stood before her.

A man with large midnight blue wings that contrasted sharply albeit pleasantly to his pale skin and flaming red hair. Violet-amber swirled eyes regarded her with an expression Kaoru didn't want to contemplate. Not right now anyway. Letting her gaze drop to his clothing, she noticed he wore a long sleeved black shirt-the top three or four buttons unbuttoned. 'Which meant he's got an ego.' Kaoru mused silently as her gaze wandered lower. Tight fitting black pants with a wide belt and silver chain completed his attire.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, -Kaoru couldn't quite decide which- that... man blocked the entrance to her tiny apartment. That was not acceptable.

And that look in his eyes was completely unacceptable as well. Anger flared high causing her eyes to turn a stormy blue shade. "Excuse me, I'd like you to move." her voice didn't come out as strongly as she wished, but when faced with a man with wings, you have to cut a girl a break.

A lazy smile crossed his lips as he moved forward slightly, "Why should I?"

Kaoru shivered at the sound of his voice, so dark and rich like honey yet it held a dangerous tint to it as well. "Because I said so!" 'There, that came out just right!'

He looked amused at her aggressive stance and angry eyes. "Hmm, but I really don't feel like it."

The raven-haired beauty looked almost ready to kill, why was he being so aggravating? It's not like she had done anything to him!

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, he smirked slightly and replied, "Not to me personally, but it seems that you've been hiding for far too long, Kamiya Kaoru."

Startled, she clutched weakly at the rail for support. 'Who the heck is this guy, and what does he know?' Her heart sped up and her breath grew ragged as she saw him unsheathe a katana.

He lunged forward, the bright blade flashing eerily in the steady downpour.

Kaoru screamed and covered her face with her arms. She was unarmed and defenseless, nothing she had been taught would let her escape that fire-haired demon. Closing her eyes tightly, she braced herself for the oncoming strike.

A sickening gurgle sounded from behind her, she could feel something hot and sticky splatter her skin and clothes. Her eyes flew open as she let her arms drop limply to her sides. Her face flushed as she noticed that she was extremely close to his chest, but that didn't stop her traitorous eyes to notice that it was finely toned. She slid down to her knees, praying he wouldn't notice where her eyes had traveled. Last thing she needed at the moment was for him to think she was interested.

The man stepped back, calmly flicking the blood off his blade, though a mild look of disgust at the creature crossed his face for a moment.

Kaoru looked around wildly for a weapon, something she could use to get away. She had been running for almost ten years now, and she wasn't about to let this man take her without a fight.

The man smirked again, "You can't fight me."

That smirk was really starting to grate on Kaoru's temper.

"How dare you, you arrogant-" she stopped as she felt something call her. Call her soul. Her eyes gleamed silver giving her an ethereal appearance.

"What are you doing?" she whispered hoarsely, fear written all over her face.

The man kneeled down to look her in the eyes, "Lady Kaoru, one of the ancients, born with the ability to destroy and to heal-not to mention whatever experiment they tried to do to you before you escaped-you do know that you're an extremely wanted woman, right?"

Kaoru let her gaze drop to her lap, fear constricted her heart and throat tightly, "What do you want?"

"I'm simply here to repay a debt."

"I won't go with you, I can't go back there!" she yelled, hear eyes wide with fear and anger, "Do you know what they did to me! You can't take me back there, I won't let you!" Balling up her fists, she rushed him and tried to at least render him unconscious.

She didn't really want to hurt him, not until she asked him how he could call her like that. She was sure it was him.

Unprepared for what happened next, Kaoru was stunned and flabbergasted at the man's actions.

Large black wings enveloped her on either side, one of his arms had wrapped itself about her waist, pulling her petite body close to his. The other arm neatly and effectively blocked her punch. His lips covered her in a searing kiss.

To say she was shocked would have been the understatement of the century. This was very unexpected, and though originally unwanted, Kaoru found herself melting in his arms.

He pulled back, that darn smirk still in place. "My name is Himura Kenshin, your father-before he...died, asked me to watch over you."

"Guardian angel." Kaoru mused aloud and was surprised at his quiet chuckle.

"Of sorts." he agreed then pulled her gently inside the house.

Kaoru's mind was whirling, she had already heard of her father's death-so that wasn't such a great shock.

The bigger shock was him, this Himura Kenshin.

"How were you able to call me?" she demanded, unafraid now that she knew he wouldn't turn her over to her pursuers.

"You should know that already, Kaoru." his eyes bored into hers as she stared at him.

Kaoru shook her head, puzzled at his words.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten." he asked, the tone sounding almost exasperated.

Moving faster than the blink of an eye, he had grabbed her hand and put it against his, palm against palm. Interlacing their fingers, he watched calmly as a mark began to appear on the back of his hand.

Kaoru stared openmouthed at the symbol on the back of her hand. "No..." she breathed as she studied the crescent moon and star mark on the back of her hand.

"Two halves of a whole." Kenshin stated softly, as he too studied the mark on the back of his hand.

"But, I-this is-you can't-" she stuttered, feeling helpless-and Kamiya Kaoru did not like feeling helpless.

"You are mine and I am yours, Kaoru." he almost purred, a wicked gleam forming in his eyes.

She backed away quickly, "Don't even think about touching me!" Though, she wouldn't quite mind. Considering the fact that if he was that good at kissing, he should be good at other things too.

'Bad Kaoru!' she slapped herself mentally.

Kenshin noted where her thoughts were going, and decided to save it for later. They had more important things to discuss right now.

"Kaoru, many lives are at stake here. They need their king and queen to free them from that tyrant's rule."

"What!" Kaoru's mouth dropped open. "Fat chance! Look, Kenshin was it? I can't do this, sorry. You need to find someone else."

Kenshin grabbed her arms to prevent her from walking out the door.

"Whether or not you care for it, you are of noble blood. Start acting like it." he hissed.

"I don't care." she glared menacingly at him.

"You will." his voice was hard with promise.

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Dark clouds floated listlessly across the wide expanse of a grey sky. The storm had stopped hours ago, but that was only the storm outside. Inside, Kaoru was creating a miniature thunder-storm of her own.

"How dare you!" Glaring heatedly at the man lounging on the floor against the wall, she ignored the way his exotic features caused her heart to race-whether it was fear or infatuation she didn't dare decide. "You come into my home, practically threaten me, and now you're saying that my father sent you to me! And you expect me to swallow that load of crap about me being royalty? Get real, if you want a queen go elsewhere. Not interested." finishing with that outburst, she turned her back to him quickly. She had to let her anger take full reign of her emotions at the moment, that Kenshin was causing feelings to erupt in her soul that she couldn't explain, nor quite liked.

Kaoru liked to be in control of her situation, and that man wasn't about to let her. 'Unfortunate for him.' she mused silently as she recalled the few times she had let her temper slip out of her control, they weren't pretty memories.

Kenshin kept his silence for a moment, allowing himself a brief moment to admire this new side of her lovely figure. Truly she had royal blood coursing through her veins, you could tell simply by the way she carried herself. Granted, he admitted, she was a bit of a klutz as this evening alone had proved. Still, there was something irresistible about her. He hadn't quite figured it out yet, but given the time, he would.

A smirk played about his lips at this thought, then he regretfully put away those kind of thoughts for later. Right now he had to get the girl to cooperate. To awake her ancient powers and memories would take a considerable amount of time. He recalled the last time he had gone through this mess, er...process. It had been a few hundred years ago, and it always was the same. Always awaking first, he had the duty to wake her up-it seemed that she was always unwilling to leave the normal behind.

Kaoru felt his eyes roam her body and stood straighter. Turning to let him have another piece of her mind, she paused at the thoughtful look on his face. It seemed her 'guardian angel' was lost in his thoughts.

That was perfectly fine with her.

Hoping to be able to sneak out while he was zoned out, she tiptoed towards the door. A sudden rustle and flapping of wings could be heard before she found her face brushing up against Kenshin's chest.

A startled shriek pierced the air as she fell backwards onto the floor, landing hard on her rump. That darn smirk reappeared as he glanced down at her, "Leaving so soon?"

That was it, Kaoru decided now was a perfectly good time to snap, "Me leaving! It should be you that left!" Mustering up the best glare she could, she tried staring him down and was irked to find him smirking even more.

"What is it with you and that darn smirk!"

"Don't like it?" he grinned mischievously, showing off perfect white teeth. Jerk.

Kaoru turned her gaze to the floor, not deigning to respond. Instead she found out how interesting her tiles were. Who knew they could look so filthy even after she scrubbed it. It was probably all those cracks in it, yeah-that was it.

She tried in vain to ignore him, and found her eyes rising to meet his again. It felt like she was being drawn to him... and there had to be some reason for it-other than her odd attraction to this man. Moving her eyes from his violet-amber gaze to his mouth, she growled inwardly. His lips were barely moving-meaning he was chanting something, probably a spell to calm her down and make her listen. That was her guess because that was how she felt at the moment.

Using her own source of power, she deftly created an almost tangible shield about her body. "Stay away from me." she hissed venomously.

Kenshin felt surprised at her ability. Last time he had to awaken her, she had barely been able to heal herself. He smiled slightly-at least this time would be slightly easier. Almost frowning at the way she nervously backed up as he stepped forward, he exhaled loudly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Guilty until proven innocent." was Kaoru's reasoning. "Besides, you still have those." she pointed to the katana and wakizashi which were strapped at his waist.

"Fine." he took them out of his belt and placed them carefully down on the floor at her feet. Refraining from putting them back into comfortable reaching distance, he stepped back and looked at her-one fiery colored eyebrow arched. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Kaoru snapped irritably.

"Are you going to talk to me peaceably now?"

The woman huffed in response, but remained quiet. Her bright blue eyes bored into his-almost as if telling him to get it over with.

Kenshin sighed quietly. This was one debt that he almost wished he didn't have to repay.

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--END NOTES--

Please review and tell me what you think! And again, apologies for the lateness.


	2. Chapter II Simple Debts

Wow! So many reviews! Well, I tried to update asap-so hopefully you all won't find this chapter disappointing. I got today off from school, so I decided to use the extra time to write this and post it.  
Thank you everyone for reviewing! And thank you everyone who has read this and didn't review. : ) I'm glad that you all liked the first chapter.  
Again, I hope you all don't find this chapter disappointing...

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, please don't sue. _--Suing is not the answer!--_

**--Chapter II-Simple Debts--**

_Sometimes we forget to remember  
To learn higher and to aim further  
But sometimes we have gone too far  
Too far to understand who we are  
--How The World-by Angunn--_

The sky grew darker, turning into the deep black of night. The constant pour of rain, the flash and roar of thunder and lightning-these prevented the stars and moon from showing. Buildings stood dark and dismal against the expanse of the ever-darkening sky, looming unpleasantly.

These created the shadows of the night, the silky black edges that seemed to grasp everything lay scattered about. Though, there also seemed to be other shadows that didn't quite meld in- those that weren't quite part of the others.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Kenshin growled in irritation. On one hand, he felt guilty for wanting to escape his debt without repaying it-on the other hand, he knew that the female would probably drive him crazy within the hour, so he didn't feel guilty.

Still, he felt drawn to her.

Cursing the fates for having thrown him into this mess, he tried once again to explain matters to the woman in front of him.

"Your father was one of the few that I have ever counted as a friend," he explained, "He was the only one I grew to completely trust."

"So?" Kaoru glared, tapping her foot impatiently. She had no idea why her father would make friends with him, and to be honest she felt she'd rather not know.

Resisting the urge to either punch a hole in the wall or shake the girl until some sense was jarred awake, he merely growled again.

Kami-sama must have really hated him today.

"As he died, he asked me to watch over you. Your father also begged me to-" he paused, violet-amber swirled eyes searching, ears straining to pick up the faintest sound. Seeming to recognize something, he smirked and walked over to the door-ignoring Kaoru's repeated questions.

Throwing open wide the glass sliding door, he stepped out onto the balcony. "Welcome, Okashira." his smirk remaining on his face.

"Okashira?" Kaoru questioned aloud, trying to figure out how someone could be showing up on her balcony.

"Yep, the one and only Aoshi Shinomori!" an exuberant voice responded from beside her.

The raven-haired woman shrieked and almost fell over from shock. Her crystal blue eyes went wide with surprise, then narrowed into angry slits, "What are you doing in my apartment? How'd you even get in here!"

The other woman held her hands up in a placating gesture, a small smile adorning her youthful face. "Well, so much for introducing myself right off." She laughed, then noticed Kaoru's dark look, "Okay... to begin with, I'm here with Aoshi-sama to escort you and Himura. Secondly, I walked in here from over there." she pointed towards the balcony.

Kaoru blinked. "I'm on the top floor." she stated.

"That's supposed to be a problem?" the other woman cocked her head in amusement. "Anyways, my name's Misao. You're Kaoru, right?"

Kaoru turned to gaze at Misao. The woman was rather short, but pretty. Her black hair was twisted up into an intricate style, seeming to be fashioned after the ancient Japanese style for women's hair. Cherry red chopsticks adorned with tiny glass beads that swung gaily from the tips were cleverly arranged in her creation. She was wearing what looked like a onmitsu uniform with some obvious changes.

She knew for a fact that onmitsu did not tend to leave the top of their garment that low, or leave the bottom of the garment that high. Though, in reflection, it suited the woman.

Hearing the last question, she nodded in response, then turned to see what the Okashira looked like.

He was very tall, a good few feet taller than Kenshin, she noted. His midnight black hair was neat, though his bangs seemed to fall into his icy blue eyes a lot. Dressed entirely in black, she couldn't help but wonder if this was part of the uniform code the three had between them-as the three were in black.

She then wondered if they would force her to do the same. Kaoru glanced down quickly at her own garments, then sighed softly. It would probably be an improvement.

Looking down, she noticed the mark on her hand hadn't disappeared. She bit her lip, almost drawing blood. Her glare darkened considerably as she rubbed at the mark-the actions causing it to glow softly. 'This is not fair.'

Kenshin paused in his talk with Aoshi as he felt like something was wrong. Noticing his mark was faintly glowing, he rushed inside to see what was wrong with Kaoru.

Gracefully coming to a stop in front of the surprised women, he glared at the one who had paused in rubbing her hand. "Did you not listen to a word I told you?" he hissed, his amber-violet eyes narrowing at her actions.

"Apparently not." she retorted, though she began to wish she had kept her mouth shut. The look on his face was almost frightening. Key word here is 'almost.' Kaoru glared back, she had seen worse-so much worse. She was not about to let him intimidate her.

Kenshin was beyond frustrated, he had no idea that such a nice person could have such a brat for a daughter. Still, the particular barrier could be a result from those experiments she had had to endure.

Quickly reaching out, he took her hand in his before she had time to recoil. "We are not here to hurt you, Kaoru." he stated in as soft a tone as he could muster. "We are here to help you, to help this dying nation."

Kaoru's eyes misted. She turned quickly, hoping he didn't see that show of weakness as she hid behind her raven-black curtain of hair.

Motioning for the other two to wait outside, the fiery haired man pushed back her hair to look into her eyes. Drawing out a silvery-grey moonstone pendent, he held it up in front of her too-bright eyes. "Sleep." he commanded.

Kaoru sank into the all too familiar black oblivion, embracing it with both arms. There was safety in this, her only refuge over the years. These were her last thoughts before she knew no more.

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Murmured voices came through the door, awakening Kaoru out of her deep sleep.

"You didn't see the scars. Kaoru's been through more than we could ever imagine." Misao's voice had a slightly upset note to it.

"It stands to reason that they could have done it. Though, why they would try to use her is what we must find out." a low dark voice replied.

"I'll kill whoever did that to her." Kenshin promised, his voice laced tight with hate and rage. "I'll rip out their throats, the bastards."

Kaoru paled, her eyes widening with fright as she realized that they knew. Apparently Misao had changed her clothes, she realized as she felt the silky cloth against her skin. Distant memories, the memories she had fought so hard to remove drifted up to the surface. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she fought off the wave of nausea that threatened to come over her.

It was unfair that she had to relive it. Once was already far too much, so why did it constantly have to come back to her thoughts? She shivered, then tried to get back to sleep. Absentmindedly, she rubbed the mark on her hand as unbidden tears coursed their way down her pale face.

The door opened, then shut. She heard quiet footsteps, only able to because everything else had become deathly quiet. Feeling the bed dip slightly with another's weight, she retreated into herself-using anger as her defense.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"You called for me." he replied, evidently unimpressed by her tone.

"I didn't mean to." she snarled as she turned herself to face the other way. Kaoru felt the weight remove itself, and fought against the over-whelming urge to ask him to stay.

"All right then." Kenshin turned and left the room quickly. Why did he care? He shouldn't have to, didn't want to or need to-but he did.

That made him angry, especially since she was acting like that. He should have learned how to deal with it by now. The worst part was, he knew that she had wanted him to stay. Her ki was on the verge of begging, but her tremendous amount of pride would not allow her to acquiesce without a fight. It seemed she was content to hide behind her anger.

He would let her... for now.

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Kaoru was almost tempted to apologize, but with waves of memories washing over her abused mind-she knew that if she tried, she'd probably end up in tears.

Never would she do such a thing.

She had already pieced together her torn shroud of pride and wasn't about to have it torn up again. While she would never regain her lost innocence and peace, she still had that to cling to. Pondering Kenshin's words, when he had told her she was of noble blood, she shook her head. Even if she was, there was no way she could help to save this country. She had no idea what it took to be a good ruler-but she was sure that she didn't have what it took. She moaned in despair as she found even mulling over that wouldn't block out the memories that flashed upon her inner eye.

Turning to the wall, she tried to keep the memories back till morning.

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Kenshin glared fiercely at the mark on his hand. If he had only known what trouble he had been getting himself into...

He paced the extent of his room, allowing his wings to stretch out to their maximum length. The man knew that they were destined to be together no matter how it had been brought about-but he wished that Koshijiro hadn't requested that at his death. Her father had asked him to marry Kaoru, probably because he knew that the assassin would be the most able to keep her safe.

Kenshin sighed as he leaned back against the wall and thought about the debt. He owed his life to Koshijiro. An unpleasant thought, considering he had never before owed any man his life. Of course, he would never admit to anyone the fact that the man had saved him. Thus he now owed his life to Kaoru. The fiery haired assassin had no wish to tell her this, but somehow her father had rigged something into the mark that forced him to tell her. Using his own power, he had been able to put it off-but he knew that he would have to soon.

He looked out of the window into the night sky. The rain was still falling, but it was starting to slow. Bowing his head, he closed his eyes in thought. The marks on their hand was a link between the two of them. Simply touching it would activate it. It also meant if one of them died, the other would as well-unless steps were taken to prevent it. He rubbed his aching temple pensively, Koshijiro definitely had a way with magic. Too bad it could possibly result in his death.

His body tensed as he felt an unknown presence outside of the building. He traced the ki quickly, then felt disappointed. It was only a group of lower-class demons. They must either be suicidal, or sent on a reconnaissance mission. Whoever had sent them would have to be an idiot to think that those weaklings would survive to tell anything-even if they did manage to find something.

Fingering his katana's hilt, he smirked. Might as well get rid of them.


	3. Chapter III Painful Memories

Thank you everyone for reviewing! -tear- I can't believe how many people have reviewed this story! Well, hopefully this chapter won't disappoint anyone.. it would have been out earlier, but I kept adding and removing things, so today I figured I'd better post it-otherwise I would never be done with it, heh.

**Disclaimer:** Now if I owned it... on second thought, better keep quiet, heh. -evil smile-

**--Chapter III-Painful Memories--**

_I'm tired of letting go all that I've tried to have  
I'm tired of wasting time looking up to the wrong stars  
I do believe in life and that everything is written  
But life is not a book with pages wide-opened_

--_Look Into Yourself_-by _Angunn_--

The night crept by slowly, unwilling to release the sky into the sun's keeping. But the cycle went on, the power struggles in the sky reflected the struggles for power below.

And caught in the struggle was a woman who had no wish to be a part of it.

Kaoru woke up covered in cold sweat. Last night had been perfectly miserable for the woman, though the knowledge that she had some protection from her pursuers gave her a little more peace than she was accustomed to. Though, this was simply another normal night for her-as far as the dreams went.

She shook her head, then covered her face with her petite hands as the memories flooded over her. Her breathing grew ragged again, and her pulse quickened dramatically. 'Steady, Kaoru. There's no need to panic.' she repeated to herself, the words becoming a mantra of sorts. Breathing deeply and slowly in an attempt to calm herself, she lifted her head to glance around the room.

A small smile played about her lips as she took in the room's contents. It seemed to have everything a person could need, and then some. 'No doubt that Misao had a hand in this,' Kaoru pondered as the room seemed to have that same flamboyant flair to it that the other woman possessed. Though, mercifully, it was definitely toned down to a reasonable level. She didn't think that she could have handled the full amount of the women's... interesting tastes. Having calmed herself down, she decided to get a shower to further soothe her frazzled nerves. Last night's activities hadn't helped any, though the dreams were, sadly, a normal occurrance. She needed a break, maybe if she ran farther-she could pretend she was a normal woman and live a normal life.

Though like beauty, normality is in the eye of the beholder. Meaning, she'd never see any part of the word that other people did on a regular basis.

Shaking off the gloomy thoughts, Kaoru climbed out of bed and was pleasantly surprised to find that she had her own bathroom. Meaning she wouldn't have to worry about someone barging in on her-she'd at least be able to sense them as they walked into the room.

A gleeful smile replace the shaken, fearful look that had been the dominant emotions before. Going through the contents of the drawers, she found enough clothing and towels for at least two people. Shaking her head at the extravagance, the woman headed for the bathroom.

Her jaw dropped at the appearance. Her bathroom at the apartment had been little more than a tiny rusting shower and a tiny toilet to match. Here, however, was a large bath/shower combination and enough room for her to walk around in. Finding a cupboard in the bathroom, she was surprised to see the many bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and goodness knows what else. 'I guess Misao was busy.'

Debating on a bath or shower, she finally decided on a shower as her stomach rumbled loudly.

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Finding the house to be a two-story building, and a large one at that, she finally found the stairs and headed down-waves of delicious smells greeting her nose.

As she walked into the dining room, whatever conversations had been going on ceased instantly, all eyes turning her way.

"Don't mind me." Kaoru muttered, feeling rather irked at the attention. She didn't want their pity, and while she appreciated their help-if they tried to ply her with pity or sympathetic looks, she'd try to find a way to get out without Kenshin finding out. Though the chances of that were slim.

Misao smiled brightly, "Good mornin'! Sleep well?"

The raven-haired woman tried to smile back, but ended up with only a half of one. "Well enough." She ignored the puzzled look this caused the group to collectively share.

"Well, sit down. Kenshin's cooking, meaning you're in for a treat." the hyper-active woman invited, openly pointing to the empty chair on her left.

"He cooks?" for some reason, this fact surprised Kaoru greatly.

"Yeah, last time I volunteered, I almost burnt the kitchen down." Misao laughed, her cheeks faintly pink with embarrassment.

Aoshi remained silent, though for a second a corner of his mouth quirked up in remembrance.

Kaoru sighed with mild relief as she settled down into the chair. The relief, however, was short-lived.

"Watch out!" a loud voice warned as a dark object sped its way towards the table. Something decidedly hot fell into Kaoru's lap, causing the woman to jump with a yelped curse. The object landed on the floor with a loud splat.

"Damn, there went my breakfast!" a boyish voice whined dejectedly, gazing miserably at the remains.

"Your breakfast!" Kaoru growled out, anger soaring to a peak. "What the hell were you doing tossing your breakfast around like that!"

"Trying to beat your record, Yahiko-chan?" Misao smiled sweetly, "If you were trying to do that, I hope you realize that you missed by a mile. The plate was over there." She pointed to the spotless white plate laying on the table.

"Stop calling me that!" he yelled, obviously in a foul mood thanks to his ruined meal. "If that hag hadn't been sitting there, I wouldn't have to worry about it! Besides, I wasn't trying to beat my record." he added defensively.

"Who're you calling a hag, little boy!"

"You, you hag!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Kaoru stood up, her infuriated ki blazing like a wildfire. The boy backed up slightly, then frowned, "As if! You couldn't even touch me." he bragged.

A dangerous smile curled itself upon Kaoru's lips, "Watch me." She raised a hand, causing the boy to eye her warily. A confident smirk returned to his face as he saw that nothing had happened to him.

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air and sent flying backwards into the wall. A loud crash caused everyone to look on in alarm except for Kaoru. Her eyes had turned to a glowing crimson red shade, clashing eerily with her delicate features. A cruel smile was upon her mouth, bloodlust burned brightly in her eyes as she stepped forward to finish the job.

Next thing Kaoru knew, she was being restrained by a pair of strong arms. Struggling slightly, she turned her dark gaze to her captor. "Let me go." she commanded in a cold tone.

Kenshin was shocked to say the least, but it didn't escape to his calm features. "What are you doing, Kaoru? He's just a child."

She froze, the last words echoing hollowly in her mind. How many times had she heard those words? They hadn't helped her any, so why should those same words help him. Kaoru fought against the almost over-whelming need to kill the whelp. He hadn't done much to her, so why did this... bloodlust come back? "I'm sorry." she gasped as her body shuddered violently then went limp in Kenshin's firm hold.

Kenshin looked at her, then glanced at Aoshi who nodded almost imperceptibly. "What did they do to you, Kaoru?" he asked softly, trying to repress the rage he felt welling up inside him. As soon as the Oniwabanshu found the bastards that had done this to her, he would kill them. Slowly.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

_"You can't do this to her! She's just a child!" a man yelled at his compatriots._

_The other men glanced at the quivering girl lying fastened by her wrists and ankles to a table. One of them spoke up, "We need to proceed with the project. She's showing positive reactions to the... treatments."_

_"This could kill her!" the first man pointed out, obviously distressed over the fact that they were using a child as a guinea pig._

_"We must do what needs to be done." a third man stated calmly._

_"But if this takes over her entire mind, she could turn on us and-"_

_"Finish the treatment." their leader commanded._

Kaoru tossed and turned, scalding tears slipped out from underneath her eyelids as she lay in bed. Kenshin sat by, feeling helpless for the first time in his life. He hated the feeling.

He growled deeply as he noticed the steady increase of tears that slipped down her pale cheeks. Restraining his rapidly increasing temper was becoming a quickly escalating challenge.

Stalking out of the room, he sought out the Okashira. "How much longer?"

Aoshi glanced up from the many papers he had been going through, "Two days, maybe more."

Kenshin answered with a curt nod and left, his stiff and angry steps leaving no doubt in the Okashira's mind that whoever had done this to Kaoru would probably be begging for their deaths by the time Battousai found them.

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Misao tended to the brash young boy's injuries, shaking her head at the damage. Her hands glowed with a soft oceanic blue glow as she healed his injuries. "You're lucky to be alive." she stated more to herself than to him as he was still unconscious.

The boy had suffered a broken arm, a broken leg, cracked ribs, head trauma, and several other injuries. Yahiko was lucky that Kenshin had stepped in. So very lucky.

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--END NOTES--

Okay, if you haven't noticed-I love Angunn's lyrics. : )  
That aside, I know I need to slow down the addition of characters... which is part of why I kept redoing this chapter. -sigh- But I needed Yahiko in here to cause that reaction in Kaoru, I mean, who else besides Sano ticks her off that quickly?  
But if I put Sano in here right now, that would mean I would need to include Megumi-and you see where this goes. Please review and tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter IV Darkness Begins

_I humbly apologize to everyone who has ever bothered to read/review my works... Things have been perfectly miserable at my end, and while I won't bore you with the entire sob story, I'll highlight some events._

_**#1**-my computer died. That alone caused me serious distress as I lost so many documents it wasn't even funny. Including several chapters from_ One Thousand Horizons_ and the entire last chapter of_ Who Needs to be Saved?_ which gave me a heart attack. sob They were all in the works, but still!! At least I had some of this chapter saved on my flashdrive. I learned a great lesson from this, listen to my dad when he tells me I should save many copies of things. dejected sigh_

_**#2**-school. I'm sure you all can sympathize with me on this one. This year has not been fun at all, and I'm sooooo behind in school work I can feel myself sinking into the inescapable abyss of its dark depths. Also, I'm trying to keep my grades to an A+ or A level so I'll have no trouble getting into college year after next. Sucks, but you gotta do what you gotta do when you're a poor soul. :P_

_That essentially highlights the big basics. Please don't be horribly mad at me!! I'll try to get everything wrapped up asap, so bear with me. _

_I do have a question for those who might still be interested in reading (or to the new readers who I have yet to offend), do you all think this story needs a little lime in it or no? I've been seriously debating with it... but have yet to make up my mind on it-so I'll let you decide. I'm also looking for a _Beta _for this story, if anyone's interested in working with a derranged, late-in-updating author. Preferable someone who'll tell me to get up off my lazy bum and write. sheepish grin_ Email_ or _pm_ me if you're interested._

Now, onto the story!!! **Disclaimer:** What would the world do if I owned this? Probably love me forever as I would rent out everyone except Misao and Kaoru who would probably skewer someone (me) if I tried. The guys can take care of themselves.

**--Chapter IV-Darkness Begins--**

_Help me, raise me up-  
All alone I fall away,  
Breaking like the doll you see,  
Shattered, bleeding wreck I'll be._

_Tossed and broken like the toy  
I used to love so long ago,  
Torn and ruined beyond repair-  
My heart still screaming finds me there._

_--Shattered, Torn, and Bleeding-by yours truly--_

(please don't mock my pitiful poem... I couldn't find any lyrics for this chapter that I liked, thus I used this)

Kaoru slept through the rest of the day, and woke up exhausted the next morning. Her tired eyes had a glazed look to them as she peered at the clock on the nightstand.

It read 7:03 A.M.

Her eyes widened, then she closed them again wearily as she returned to the warm shelter of her bed.

It was days like this that made you simply want to stay in bed and never get up.

With that thought in mind, she went over what had happened to her within the past two days. 'Okay, I went to that secret school that I had found. It was a lucky find, I would never have gotten in school otherwise. Of course, they were against the government-but who cares?

I digress, moving on.

Went to school, walked home, fell in a puddle while walking home in the rain, tried to get a cup of coffee-and never did get it-met Kenshin.'

She scowled darkly at this thought. After all, wasn't he to blame for all of this? At least... the recent happenings.

'Met him, found out I was royalty-which I'm still not buying, he practically kidnapped me and took me here to his place. And now I'm living with Misao, that Okashira... Aoshi was it? And that brat Yahiko. Hope I didn't kill him...' with that last thought in mind, she opened her eyes to glance up at the ceiling worriedly.

She already had enough to live with, she didn't need the child's blood on her hands as well.

Kaoru fought back the waves of nausea that threatened to envelop her. Closing her eyes tightly shut, she searched desperately for a balance within her soul-at least, enough of a balance to keep her sanity in tact. With no desire to give in to the bloodlust, she delved deeper into the blackness of her mind's eye. Envisioning a small orb, she strained with the effort to lock the 'sickness' away. This had become a daily routine for her, up until those people took her away. A wry smile found its way to her lips, it was a good thing they didn't know what they were harboring. Oh yes, she might have royal blood-even have the blood of the ancients flowing through her-but she also had demonic blood flowing through her veins.

The woman shuddered at the thought. This was what had caused her to turn into a bloodthirsty monster. This was what had ruined her life. This was why she tried to avoid people.

This was why she couldn't allow herself to fall in love.

Kaoru was most definitely not blind. She could see the way Kenshin looked at her, but she was fearful of the consequences of allowing herself to have a relationship.

She didn't want to have his blood on her hands.

Granted, he had amazing abilities-but once completely in that form, no one would be able to stand in her way.

Another shudder wracked her petite body as she recalled that day.

_Glass flew everywhere, cutting into their skin._

_A cruel smirk played about her full lips as she surveyed the doctors writhing in anguish on the ground, lying in pools of their own blood. Picking up one of the bleeding men, she lifted him high in the air with one arm._

_"Do you like what you did to me?" she asked, her voice sensuously dark though malice wound its way through her words._

_The man whimpered piteously. Her crimson eyes blazed with anger, "Cowards and weaklings, preying on the defenseless-that is all you are!" With that, she shifted her grip to his neck. He was dead within seconds._

_Her large, velvet-like, black wings, looking kin to the old pictures of dragons in a child's fairy tale, stretched themselves out to their fullest extent as she stalked forward to finish her work._

Kaoru sobbed quietly, trying in vain to banish the thoughts. They plagued her every minute-no, every second of the day and tormented her mind.

Nothing was safe anymore.

They had kept her for years, she knew this for a fact. Haunting images of her mother's and father's face swirled in her mind and pulled at painful memories. Friends and family had either deserted her or had left her for dead, after seeing first hand her little 'problem.' Life was unfair, and she had done nothing to deserve it.

There had been only one, only one person who had taken her in for two brief years before the kind, elderly woman passed away. They had shared their hurts and sorrows, and 'Grandma' as Kaoru had affectionately dubbed her, had rejoiced daily at having an adopted daughter to replace the family she had lost.

After her death, Kaoru had withdrawn herself even more. Rage and destruction had kindled like wildfire, stirring her blood to kill-but the woman's memory kept her sane, holding her there like an anchor in a violent storm. Thanks to her, she had kept some measure of sanity over the years, and was able to survive thanks to the tidy little sum she had been left.

She had kept the house, unwilling to both live in it and unwilling to sell it, for the same memories kept her from doing both. It would have been too painful years ago, but perhaps now she could go back.

A teary smile appeared on her face at the thought. 'Yes, that's what I'm going to do. I won't have to worry about hurting the kid, or Misao and Aoshi, or... anyone.'

Perhaps sanity could be found and kept there.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Kenshin was once again pacing the length of his room, slender crimson brows furrowed in thought. Something was wrong. He could feel it in the air, the traces of dark magic lingering.

Something would happen tonight, for better or for worse-and the only distressing part was that he could not decide which it would be.

The Queen of Darkness had stretched her hand forth last night, and had issued a challenge to him. Fail, and he would be bound to her in eternal servitude.

'Kami, help me.' he prayed, violet-amber swirled eyes scanning through his window at the view outside. He would need all the help he could possibly get, considering he would have to defeat the current ruler of the city and her escort. Queen Yumi was a fearsome adversary, though, Kenshin snorted in disdain, her vanity and pride had landed him several advantages in the past. Her current escort was named Shishio Makoto. This one, to his amusement seemed to be permanent. Though why was the biggest question. Maybe she had a fetish for mummies, as the man was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, covering the severe burns he had accumulated in serving his queen.

Whatever the reason, he at least knew what to expect from the two-though it wouldn't be an easy chore to remove them. His swords seemed to warm in pleasure at the thought, which would not be surprising, considering they had been forged of magic and wrought with his own blood. This gave him a superior advantage in battle, as a powerful mythical creature's blood made the weapon twice as strong as before.

Perhaps Shishio had done the same within the past hundred years, he mused. Withdrawing himself into silent meditation, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to shut out everything around him. Today he would tell Kaoru everything. Perhaps Kami-sama would smile upon him and help everything to go right.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Misao sighed, for the umpteenth time that morning, causing Aoshi to glance her way. His ice blue eyes stated more than he would ever say in an entire lifetime as they locked with her ocean blue orbs.

She shook her head, her hair looking worse for the wear having been up in the same style all night. "I'll be fine." she smiled, trying to keep her usual level of peppiness in her tone and face. "Though..." her eyes slid to the coffee machine wistfully, "I think I need some caffeine."

A tiny smirk came and disappeared within seconds upon the Okashira's stoic face before he stood. Within minutes, the pleasant and arousing aroma of coffee filled the air. Misao stationed herself eye level with the pot, chanting in quiet tones, "Coffee, coffee, coffee."

Yahiko stirred and grunted painfully as a loud knock resounded upon the front door. Misao glared in aggravation, and slipped a kunai out from a hidden pocket in her clothes. Rounding on her heel, she stalked out of the kitchen, past the groaning Yahiko and the faintly amused Aoshi in the dining room, down the hallway, past the hall closet and guest room to the front door. Peering at the computer screen lodged conveniently by the door, she growled at the face shown.

Unlocking the complicated locks and punching in the password, the door swung open silently to reveal a tall, gangly young man with a rough appearance, fierce chocolate colored eyes, and gravity-defying spiky brown hair. His open white jacket lined with black with the Japanese symbol for 'evil' adorning both shoulders blew open in the faint wind to reveal bandages wrapped around his midsection. Misao raised a curious eyebrow at that. "What happened to you?"

The man grunted and strolled past her into the house. "Got waylaid by the bitch parading as queen's goons." he groused in obvious bad temper, "I had 'em all, but it seems something put her in a bad mood last night. An assassin was there too at the very end."

She winced sympathetically as she surveyed the bandages with a critical eye. "Looks like they got a good swipe in, huh, Sano?"

He grunted in agreement, pride not allowing him to say more.

"Megumi patched you up well." the woman commented with a sly grin.

His face suddenly schooled itself into a blank stare, "Yeah, she complained about me the whole time."

"Was that before or after the tumble in bed?" Misao grinned cheekily.

Sanosuke aimed a half-hearted swipe at her head before heading for the kitchen. "Thanks for making coffee, weasel girl."

"Noooo!" she howled, racing after him. "That's my coffeeeeee!"

"And?" Sano looked down at the hopping-mad woman, who was currently trying in vain to snatch the coffee pot out of his hand. A lopsided

grin found its way to his mouth at watching Misao's actions.

"I'm going to kill you!" she hissed venemously, kunai suddenly out and bristling warningly in her capable hands. "Give me my coffee, rooster

head!"

His chocolate eyes slid away from her furious blue orbs to catch Aoshi's. Ignoring the warning look in the Okashira's eyes, he then turned his

gaze to Yahiko, and almost dropped the pot of coffee on the weasel's head.

"Holy shit, Yahiko! What happened to you?!" his jaw dropped at the sight of the heavily bandaged youth who, now fully awake and aware of

many thousands of pain sensory nerves, glared at the loud intruder.

Setting the pot down with a clatter, he walked briskly over the the kid's side and inspected him with a grave look upon his normally laid-back

face.

Yahiko's cinnamon eyes continued to glare up at the older man, daring him to say anything about his current condition.

"What did you get into now?" Sano asked in wonder, surveying the bandages with a skeptical eye.

Misao snorted in an unlady-like fashion as she poured herself a large mug full of the energizing liquid. "He messed with a majorly strong, magically powerful woman."

The rooster whistled between his teeth, "You need to learn to pick your fights, kid."

Yahiko grunted and averted his gaze, wishing he could be anywhere else but there. Unfortunately, when you're covered in wraps and casts, you can't go where you please. 'This sucks.' he thought in irked silence as he had to endure Sano's teasing.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

I tried to keep it lighter towards the end as next chapter is going to be on the heavy side. Wish I could write tear-jerkers, but I'm not nearly good enough. wistful sigh Even with my ranting at the beginning and end, it's still a bit longer than the last chapter. As you can see, I gave up and added Sano. He _insisted_ upon being involved and I couldn't keep saying no... _even after what I said last chapter_. Ah well, expect a visit from your fav kitsune soon:)

Please review and tell me what you think!! I'll even keep my mouth shut if you review to call me a lazy whatever. Scout's honor and all that jazz.


	5. Chapter V Touch of Evil

_Okay, truth be told-I am more than a little miffed. I know I've been away for ages, but can someone please explain to me how I can have 200+ hits on the last chapter alone and only receive six reviews? I'm feeling so blue...  
I'll forgive that though, as I'm happy that someone has volunteered to be my beta: D  
_**hermione13579**_ has graciously offered to assist me, so be nice and _**review**_ to show her that her effort in assisting my horrible punctuation, etc. has not been wasted!!! Many thanks and enjoy the chapter!! _

**Disclaimer:** (twiddles thumbs) Silence. (whistles) Still more silence. Okay!! I don't own ruroken or any of its characters!! Satisfied? (glares at lawyers who are nodding happily)

**--Chapter V-Touch of Evil--**

_Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies  
So I don't know what's real and what's not  
Always confusing the thoughts in my head  
So I can't trust myself anymore  
I'm dying again  
I'm going under_

--_Bring Me to Life_-by _Evanescence_--

Contemplating the risks of jumping out of a four-story window, Kaoru eyed her possible escape route with a grim expression. The pros and cons weighed equally. Okay, the cons weighed a _little_ more, but that was something she could overlook. Using her magic, however, was a serious part of the negative factor. Besides the obvious people-are-going-to-notice bit, other... things would be drawn to her unnecessarily if she dived out the window with her roll of clothes clutched in hand and wings spread wide.

Rubbing her shoulders pensively, she sidestepped around the desk in front of the window to peer outside. The morning sun shone brightly through her window, causing her to squint in an effort to retain some measure of vision. 'The city is ugly from up here as well,' she mused thoughtfully. Typical.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, complaining about her lack of breakfast. An even louder noise sounded upon the thick wood of her door.

Kaoru's mouth curved down into an unpleasant grimace as she recognized the ki. She didn't want to face _him_, especially not on an empty stomach with thoughts of running away flitting through her mind. The mark on her hand tingled warmly, telling her that he wished to speak to her now. Kaoru's grimace changed to a frown as she studied the mark.

"Come in." she called grumpily, trying to shut her stomach up by pressing her crossed arms against the traitorous section.

Kenshin stepped in, silently closing the door behind him.

Kaoru studied him as she noted the absence of his wings. "Bad weather for flight?" she joked, stalling the soon-to-be conversation.

The man turned to look at her, a crimson brow raised in amusement. "I thought you would prefer something less threatening to look at."

'As if you would ever look anything but threatening.' she frowned at him, her half-smile gone, and her eyes darkening as all traces of good will disappeared. "I'm not easily intimidated, thank you."

A smirk crossed his face, "I noticed."

"What do you want?" Kaoru asked bluntly, her sapphire-blue eyes turning icy as her inner barrier shot up. He was stunning in his fitted black slacks and... was that the same shirt he wore yesterday? She quickly looked at it again and almost shook her head, 'Nope, similar color. Why in the world does he have a silver crescent moon embroidered on the shoulder?'

As her mind wandered, he took in her appearance as well. She seemed to have recently crawled out of bed, he noticed with an amused glint in his eyes. Her hair was still sleep tousled, and her sleep wear...

He felt his blood warm and his heart beat quicken at the snug white cotton tank top and short blue shorts she wore.

Wait, she hadn't gone to sleep in that.

"Done staring?" Kaoru asked pointedly, "This is what I'm wearing today, so if you've got something rude to say, shove it."

Kenshin smirked, and purposefully let his eyes rove. He watched her begin to look uncomfortable as he moved forward.

"What do you want?" she repeated, doing her best to hide her discomfort at his close proximity.

"I thought you weren't easily intimidated," he teased in a tone that hinted of seductive darkness.

"I'm not," Kaoru stated somewhat defensively as she strove to keep herself stationary. Her icy blue orbs took in his every movement as he continued his advance.

"Are you sure?" he breathed, his voice deepening sinfully as he raised a hand to comb through her silken hair.

"Don't touch me." she warned, voice and face laced with poisonous thoughts.

Kenshin ignored her, opting instead to close the distance further, until there was nothing but their clothes between them. He bent his head slightly to press heated kisses along her jaw and down the milky skin of her throat.

Kaoru tried to remain aloof and uncaring as to what he was doing, silently fighting the erupting feelings that swirled and pooled in her abdomen like molten fire. It was growing increasingly hard to ignore as he continued to trail down to her bosom. She inhaled sharply as she felt him poise his mouth over her breast, feeling the warmth through the thin fabric.

He drew back and stood up straight, dark amusement swirling in the violet-amber depths of his eyes.

Kaoru glared at him, disappointment and relief fought for dominance in the look she sent the fiery-haired man's way.

Kenshin shrugged in an off-hand manner, "I forgot, you didn't want me to touch you."

Her glare intensified ten-fold at his taunting. Pride aside, she felt as though she needed company. Her powers aside, she wanted someone to love her for one night.

Perhaps if she ignored both...

Tossing all other thoughts out of her mind except for how she wanted his touch on her skin, she stepped forward and yanked his collar down. Her lips slammed onto his almost painfully as his head jerked down to follow the pull.

She felt surprised. After the initial shock of her attacking him, Kenshin had slowly reigned in her spirited outburst of passion to something slow, something sweet. Tears almost sprung to her love-deprived eyes as she felt tenderness and caring in his touch.

Did he know that was what she had needed? She had expected something that flashed and fizzled like fireworks and raging infernos upon letting him near her, and granted, slowly but surely, he was getting to that point.

Her shirt was gone before she knew it and she feverishly struggled with the aggravating buttons on his shirt. With his help, they removed the obstacle and she let her hands rove over the firm, well-defined muscles in his abdomen.

Moans and sparks flew as they found and exploited each other's weaknesses.

"Let me have you." Kenshin rasped against her mouth, his skilled hands seemed to find everything that pleasured her.

A silent assent led to a brief lull as Kenshin led her back to her rumpled bed, a slightly predatory smile gracing his lips as a similar look was mirrored on hers.

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Yumi paced the dark marble of the ancient, grandiose throne room in heated silence. Her full, ruby-painted lips pursed in a deep frown as her slim, dark eyebrows furrowed with barely controlled anger.

The very image of the excellence of Asian beauty, it was not hard to believe that her people once assumed her to be the angel she had presented herself to be. That was, until they knew they had signed their country over to the devil herself.

Stunning, with flawless ivory skin, liquid almond-shaped dark eyes, and long silken hair the color of wine-she was the perfect image. The people had loved her with a burning passion, equal to almost every lover she had taken-but now they hated her with the same, if not greater emotion.

Living in the lap of luxury in every waking and sleeping moment had taken an immense toll on her kingdom. They soon realized that she was nothing like their beloved elderly king, as they watched their homes, lives, and families fall to pieces with a laughing monarch over them.

But now she seethed and cursed every known deity in existence as she continued to pace, ignoring the slightly humored look in her lover's ruby eyes as he watched. The wretched girl had managed to elude her once again. Biting her lip, the woman wondered how a child could escape her for so long. Images of a dark angel known as 'Battousai' came to mind, infuriating her once more. She had once loved him, and he had turned her down. Even now, she imagined the golden-violet hues of his eyes and the burning fire of his hair. He had rejected her once. Once was all it took for Yumi to want his head served to her on a silver platter. Now, though, she had Shishio. He was more than enough for her.

"I will have her." she stated out loud, her voice seeped with aggravation and anger. She knew that for some reason, Battousai wanted the girl.

Her sources had provided her with this information, but the woman had yet to discover why the famed man would want to protect such a person.

"Do not fret yourself, Yumi." Shishio drew out his sword, the Mugenjin, to inspect the keen edge. "You will have your revenge on Battousai soon enough. Soujiro will collect the girl after I kill him and take my place as the strongest in existence."

The woman sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling suddenly tired after her hours of pacing. Turning her dark eyes to the bandaged man lounging on the throne, she smiled slightly. "How soon will you be able to dispose of him for me, Shishio-sama?"

A murderous grin spread across his burned and bandaged face, "Soon."

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Yahiko grimaced. He frowned. He pulled a cat face. He counted backwards from a thousand and two twice. He even counted the tiles on the ceiling!

Nothing still had yet to relieve him of his boredom. Who knew the weasel and rooster would be so boring to listen to? They hadn't even offered him any of that coffee that he had heard them arguing about earlier!!! Damn rude people...

Misao shifted her oceanic blue orbs to Yahiko as their conversation hit a major lull. With Aoshi-sama, she enjoyed the quiet, or she filled it up with her chatter and monitored his brief and subtle responses like a hawk in order to gauge the silent man's reaction. With Sano here... she slid her glance away from the prostrate boy to the tall man with a tiny glare.

She could've jumped Aoshi-sama and dragged him away to her bedroom if a certain unwelcome visitor hadn't been present. Yahiko wouldn't have cared one way or another, unless she jumped Aoshi-sama in front of him. Like that would ever happen.

It was boring. And her coffee had gotten cold. And the two upstairs were making some interesting bumps and bangs up there.

A smirk crossed her lips as she thought about what was going on. As visual images came to mind, she slapped herself mentally and replaced visions of Kenshin with Aoshi in an amazing speed. She'd rather think about her own love life than his. Cold steel greeting her in the night was not a pleasant thought for the hyper-active ninja.

Sano rolled his eyes and pulled out a fish tail from his pocket. Sticking the bone into his mouth, he left the fin dangling from his lips. He had come to report to Kenshin, not sit here bored out of his mind.

"Mind telling me why I can't talk to him?" the fighter asked, dark orbs glancing from Misao to Aoshi.

The petite woman sighed loudly and threw her hands up in the air, "Can't you hear anything?!"

Aoshi stood, piling together a file of papers and pictures. "Battousai is busy, you may report to me."

"I also have something to report, Aoshi-sama." a tall, angular figure emerged from the shadows near the entry causing Sano to jump at the unexpected voice. Irritation flitted across the young man's face until he noticed who it was. "Thanks for last week." he grinned broadly.

"You still owe me for the meal." the man replied blandly, stepping forward until he no longer blended with the shadows. A white, garish mask concealed his face, leaving Sano to only guess if he was serious or not. Wide orange and black stripes ran down the man's arms, oddly fitting with his dark attire. His very stance portrayed his fighting ability as he moved with a fluid grace only those who trained their bodies to great heights could ever hope to attain.

He bowed to Aoshi, "When would it be convenient?"

"I will hear you both in my office, Han'nya."

Misao pouted as she followed the three departing figures with her eyes. A grunt from the boy caused her to turn his way. Stretching, she slowly stood up and moved to Yahiko's side. "What's the matter?"

"I want to leave." the tan-skinned boy muttered. "You guys are driving me nuts."

"Am not!! I didn't even do anything!!" Misao glared at the almost mummified youth who matched her glare with one of his own.

"That's the problem!! I can't even move, and there's nothing to do!!"

"Count the tiles." she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Already did."

"Count something else!! I can't move you just yet." came a growling retort.

Yahiko's eyes suddenly glazed over, turning his cinnamon orbs to a dark shade of ruby. "Yumi's plotting." he stated in a hoarse tone.

"What?!" Misao was at his side in an instant, all irritation gone as worry spread over her features like a dark cloud.

His eyes cleared slightly, as he focused in on the face above his, "She hunting for that ha... for that woman. Why?"

"What woman?" she asked, puzzled. Then it dawned upon her, "Kaoru?"

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--END NOTES--

I know people read these stories, so if you do happen to read this, please review!! I don't bite... hard. Honestly though, it's been proven that you can't send physical pain across the internet. And I'm not mean enough to send anything bad your way, so don't hesitate to click the button! Less than _five _minutes of your time makes me a _happy_ authoress!!  
Off that, I do hope you enjoyed this! (_Yes, same message as the one from Am I Good Enough? in my_ **Oneshot Haven** _collection_. _The sentiment is still the same_.)

I just had to include Han'nya in here: 3 For some reason, I really like him. Not his appearance, mind you, but he's so faithful and loyal to Aoshi that it makes you admire him. Anyone agree with me on that?

Thanks again, **hermione13579**!!!


	6. Chapter VI Pain in Understanding

_Greetings, minna-san (everyone)!!  
First off, I would like to apologize for the delay and for how I was pouting last chapter. :) I have had a couple of rough months, but acting like that was pretty stupid.  
Moving on while you all nod in agreement...  
I'm fairly happy with how this chapter turned out and I'm hoping that you guys will too. It's much longer than the previous one, so hopefully it'll tide everyone over 'til the next one's done and up. Thanks so much for those who reviewed!! I love you all to death!! ... okay, maybe not to _that_ extreme (lucky you). Cookies for everyone. :D_

**Disclaimer:** Now... I've counted it all up. All those years of birthday wishes, wishbone wishes (lol), and shooting star wishes... and I still have yet to be able to legally claim ownership of Rurouni Kenshin. So wrong... if someone wants to sue me for this story, well...  
(points) Bob made me do it! (foaming-mouthed lawyers tackle poor Bob)

**--Chapter VI-Pain in Understanding--**

_Something just isn't right  
I can feel it inside  
The truth isn't far behind me  
You can't deny  
When I turn the lights out  
When I close my eyes  
Reality overcomes me I'm living a lie_

--_Together_-by _Avril Lavigne_--

Kaoru sighed softly in contentment and curled closer to Kenshin's warm body. Half of her was glad she had given in... the other half felt like she had lost an important battle. Opting to shove away the uncomfortable feelings to be dealt with at a later time, she tried to focus on the fuzzy, warm, feel-good thoughts. Which, to her mild distress, were fleeing as an uncomfortable lump settled in her stomach to weigh like lead.

Why wasn't she allowed to feel happy for a brief moment? She wondered bitterly, burying her face in the firm wall of Kenshin's chest. She felt him stroke her hair, and felt his chest rumble pleasantly against her skin as he began to speak.

"I have something to tell you, Kaoru."

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Misao dashed down the hallway to Aoshi's room and threw open the door, heedless and uncaring of the meeting inside. "Yahiko had another vision!"

Aoshi and Sano gave the woman looks of surprise, Aoshi's decidedly less pronounced than Sanosuke's.

"What did the kid see this time?" the tall fighter leaned against Aoshi's desk as he stared down at the petite kunoichi.

"Yumi is trying to find Kaoru for some reason!!" Misao threw her hands up in the air, "Why one earth is she looking for her?" Her cerulean eyes shifted to stare down each of the suddenly silent men in turn. "Spill it," she commanded, her expression stating plainly that she was not allowing any of them to get away with telling her nothing. "I want pertinent facts," the woman added as Sano opened his mouth to speak.

Sanosuke found the tall book shelves that filled the Okashira's spartanly decorated office to be very interesting at that particular moment. His chocolate eyes scanned the many rows of books in clearly opaque, false interest.

Aoshi closed his icy orbs with a detached look upon his face. Han'nya continued to remain silent, though his form grew minutely tense.

The small room was filled with the quiet tension. With resolute steps, Misao stalked to the front of Aoshi's large, oak desk. Running her fingers along the satiny, dark finish, she slowly withdrew a kunai. In a flash, the same kunai was embedded in the wood almost to the handle.

"I am _not_ a child," she growled out, eyes flashing dangerously. "I am a full-fledged onmitsu, and I demand to be treated as such." Her chest heaved with controlled temper as she waited for someone to begin talking.

"You are a talented ninja," Aoshi acknowledged, his eyes still closed, "This, however, pertains to Battousai."

"It pertains to _Kaoru_," came her swift, venomous retort.

Han'nya stepped forward, noting the near-boiling point of Misao's aggravation. "With all due respect, Aoshi-sama, Misao-sama should be informed in order to protect herself, should anything occur."

Sano turned to look at both Aoshi and Han'nya, "I think he's right. If the weasel doesn't know, she might end up worse off."

"Who're you calling a weasel?" Misao bit out, still trying valiantly to not strangle anyone as Han'nya had appeased her temper, and she was grateful that the brown-haired man had taken her corner too.

Aoshi nodded his head once very slowly. Han'nya took this as permission.

"Yumi ordered Kaoru to be one of the many test subjects for her top scientist's new project."

At his brief pause, the woman prodded him along impatiently, "Which _was_?"

"A new type of soldier, a breed that could potentially keep her on the throne forever. Mixing the blood of demons with those blessed with the blood of the ancients, those with gifts. Many died during the experiment, unable to tolerate the transfusion that changed their very genetics." He stopped to pick up a file from the many that lay on his leader's desk. He tossed it to Misao who caught the folder deftly.

Opening it quickly, she scanned the contents. Her face paled slightly at the report and pictures within, but her face remained steady and resolute. "Kaoru survived."

"The only survivor. That is why Yumi wants her back. Even with only one at her beck and call, Kamiya-san is more than powerful enough to destroy anything in her way. With Kamiya-san and Shishio at her side, she could possibly take over anything she desires and remain unscathed."

"Kamiya is almost as powerful as Battousai," Aoshi finally spoke.

"She killed every scientist that ran the place, the guards in her path, and several others when she got away," Sanosuke shook his head in amazement. "They say the blood was two feet deep on the floors."

"An exaggeration," Han'nya stated calmly, taking back the file Misao handed to him.

"So, that means Himura doesn't have anyone to go after?" she questioned.

Sano nodded; his expression was grim. "Kenshin's not going to like that at all-but it's done. And who better to experiment on than the only possible heir to the throne?"

Misao's eyes narrowed, "All the more reason to get her back, huh?"

"All the more reason to protect her," Han'nya interjected quietly.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

"_He what_?!" Kaoru gasped out, nearly jumping off the bed in shock. "And you didn't bother to mention this little... detail, why?"

Kenshin ran a hand through the thick, fiery locks of his hair, frustration upon his face. "You would have run off."

"Damn straight!" she spat out, wrapping the blanket around her body, stomach heaving now that she thought about how she had let him touch her. "You think I'm going to swallow this, and tie the knot with you? Are you out of your frickin' mind?"

Violet-amber swirled eyes narrowed, "You're not the only person with their life on the line." Or the only one who had sacrificed. His thoughts ran to the many that had been sacrificed to this war, who were still sacrificing.

"Oh, right. So it's my fault that they're coming after you, because you kidnapped me? Is that how it works?" the woman growled, her blue eyes flashing dangerously with a silver sheen, hands clenching into fists at her blanketed sides.

"You know who is trying to kill you, Kaoru."

"Yeah, and I know something else, I'm not ready to commit to you or anyone else, buddy." she pointed a stiff finger towards the door. "Out. _Now_."

Kenshin's face became unreadable, causing Kaoru to tense. "I haven't yet blamed you for anything."

"I care?" she growled, wishing the man would simply disappear. It was highly unfair for him to toss her father's last wishes in her face like that! Okay... thinking back, he hadn't tossed them in her face... but it had felt like that. She had no desire to marry. End of story. It was bad enough to know what blood ran through her veins, both naturally and not, but what Kenshin and her father wanted was impossible.

Taking out Yumi was not a problem with her. Hell, that bitch did this to her in the first place! But to take over the throne, and to marry Kenshin? He was way off his rocker if he thought she was going to do anything besides kill the woman that had so royally screwed up her life.

The man opposite her was silent, not a good sign in Kaoru's opinion.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Megumi paced the dark hallway of the hospital, flinching at every sound. The steady drip of broken pipes kept her heart racing furiously. The wind whispering hollowly through the broken walls and destroyed furniture caused her mind to race with unpleasant thoughts. Her soul wept with the visual intake of the destruction of her family's hospital. Full, painted lips pursed into a thin line as she frowned. Her long, ruby nails dug painfully into the pale, soft skin of her hands and she closed cinnamon eyes to clear her heaving mind.

A heavy step in the far end of the corridor had her eyes snapping open, and her heart beating erratically.

The demon sniffed the air. Megumi's perfume lingered delicately, enticing the flesh-craving monster. Its reptilian eyes blinked; the outer set vertically, then the inner flickered horizontally like a thin membrane over the yellow irises. A long, thin tongue snaked out to taste the air and scented the fear that hung as heavily as the perfume. Dagger-like teeth glinted wickedly in the dim light that poured in from the outside as the demon grinned maliciously in anticipation of its next meal.

Her booted feet flew down the corridors, past the wreckage of the rooms that lined the narrow passage. Long ebony hair streamed out behind the curvaceous woman as she struggled with dialing her cell phone.

"Sano!" she hissed urgently into the phone. 'Megitsune, what's wrong?'

She turned briefly, hoping the monster was still far behind her. "The clinic's been under attack. They must have guessed my connection to you all, and there's something here and it's after me!"

'What is it? Wait, skip the details, I'll be there in five.'

"Hurry!" she struggled to keep her voice from cracking as she dashed into an office. Hanging up, she closed the door and locked it. Closing her eyes, she prayed fervently that someone would take pity on her and keep her from being ended like this. Being the main course of a demon was not her idea of a nice way to die. Slowly, she drew out a handgun from her lab coat and readied it. There was no way she was going to end up as demon food. No way.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Sano closed his phone, a stony look upon his face as he quickly ran out of the room. Misao chased after him, curiosity displayed upon her open features. "What's wrong? Is Megumi okay?"

"The fox's run into trouble at the clinic. Someone's spilled, they know Megumi's with us. Clinic's been trashed and there's a demon after her." he stated shortly, almost ripping the front door open in his haste to leave. Running out, his long legs helped the man to cover more ground as he dashed to his motorcycle. The petite ninja ran after him, and seated herself behind the brunette after he hopped on. At his glare, she huffed indignantly. "I'm coming too, so shut up and get going."

Not wishing to waste time or breath on the girl, he revved up the engine and took off, hoping everything was okay.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

The lizard-like demon slid fluidly around the corner, tongue flickering out to once again taste the air. A predatory gleam flickered in his eyes as he turned to the locked door on his left. Talon tipped fingers slid down the door, making an awful noise.

Megumi swallowed painfully. She had never signed up for this. They owed her greatly, and were going to be held responsible for the clinic's repairs. She stepped away from the door and backed up one, two, three feet away. Adrenaline and fear rushed through her veins, fighting each other for dominance. With a steady hand, she held the gun up and prepared herself and the demon bashed on the door.

Cracks slithered down the wooden structure, bending in visibly from the heavy weight of the monster on the other side. The woman bit back a scream that bubbled up through her throat as she saw chunks of wood fly from the new hole in the door, a scaly hand having punched through. "_Come out_, _come out_, _I will feast on your flesh and bones_." the demon hissed, its scaly mouth drawn back into a hideous grin.

With another hiss, it slid its hand down and unlocked the door. Opening creakily, it swung forward on its hinges to reveal the dusky interior and the pale, but determined woman. It stepped forward and dived with lightning speed as Megumi fired the weapon. If it had been a mortal man, the bullet would have struck the center of its forehead and struck it dead upon impact.

Unfortunately for Megumi, it was not mortal.

Her eyes widened and her breath hitched as she felt something slimy and wet slither up and off her neck. She shivered as she felt it behind her, felt the cold razor sharp claws trail down the wetness it had left on her neck. Its other hand wrapped around her arm and slowly sank its talons into her arm. A scream ripped itself out of her throat as pain burst in white-hot explosions from the gaping punctures in her arm that wept blood.

"_Scream louder_." it hissed softly in her ear as it ripped the talons from her arm only to repeat the process.

Sano's heart nearly stopped as he heard Megumi's pained screams. The tall fighter flew as if all the demons from hell were after him as he sought to find the woman. Misao tried to keep up, her diligent training the only reason she could in any way keep up with the man. She cursed her height for not the last time in her life as they raced around another corner.

Misao stopped, her skin paling as she yanked Sano's arm to stop his headlong dash. His chocolate colored eyes turned to a shade so dark it was almost black as he took in the angry, bloody tears in the weeping woman's arms, and turned their heated glare to the beast that had dared to do such a thing. Cracking his knuckles he stepped forward, "Get your filthy hands off her, you son of a bitch!"

The demon let out a hissing chuckle and threw Megumi to the side. She hit the wall with a sharp thud and sank to the floor like a broken doll. Misao was only relieved to not have heard a cracking sound. She dashed to the woman's side and out of the reach of both Sanosuke and the demon. "_What are you going to do_? _A mere mortal and no weapon in sight_? _Are you foolish or brave_?"

It circled the furious fighter, "_Perhaps you are simply a rash_ idiot."

Sano allowed the demon to circle closer. When it came into his range, he struck. A lightning fast punch sent the man's broad fist plowing deeply into the demon's scaly hide, through flesh and smashing into the bone with an ear-splitting crack, fury melding its strength to his own. The lizard-demon flew backwards with amazing force into the wall behind it, through it, and landed with a loud thud on the floor of the next door room, a cloud of dust, plaster, and debris filling the entire area. With a dry grin, Sanosuke stepped through the impromptu door and stood over the demon who was curling in on itself as it writhed with pain. "Ya know, weak demons like you have no chance against these fists of mine. I'd let you go tell your boss that, but you know-" he hauled the demon up by the throat to stare it in the eyes. The demon saw its death written in the dark orbs. It kicked and struggled as the man continued, "I really don't like you."

A blow to the head caved in the demon's skull, ending it quickly. Sano shook the blood and demon organs off his hand, a grimace of disgust planting itself on his rough features. "Sheesh, I have to fight garbage like this and get crap all over my hand too..." he grunted, trying to get the mess off as best he could before scooping up the unconscious doctor. "Come on weasel, let's go."

Worry plagued both Misao's and Sanosuke's minds as they made their way out of the ruined mess that remained of the Takani Medical Center. The demon's blood saturated the air with a hideous metallic tang that smelled stronger than the scent of a human's spilled blood ever could. There would be others in a matter of minutes.

With the unconscious form of Megumi in his arms, the tall fighter grits his teeth and ran faster, hoping against hope that there would be no vultures circling.

The shadows crawled visibly. Darkness slithered from shadow to shadow, making the small woman's heart race with both excitement and worry. "Sano." a hissed warning was all he needed to know what was going on. Her oceanic blue eyes narrowed as she scanned the surrounding darkness of the street outside the hospital. Thanks to her natural abilities and heightened senses from years of training, she was much better equipped to handle this than Sanosuke... at least, in the dark. The time of the ninja. This was her zone, and if she couldn't cope with this, she couldn't in all honesty expect Aoshi-sama to see her as the onmitsu she had earlier claimed to be.

A silver flash of kunai streamed through the air, illuminated eerily by the moon and streetlights, striking a dark form. It squealed with pain as it landed on all fours on the ground, baring its fangs at the humans.

"Damn." Sano shifted the woman in his arms, causing her to moan.

"Get going, rooster head, I'll cover you."

"Are you insane-" he paused, noticing the look in her eyes and the bright flash of more kunai being tossed with incredible speed. He nodded his head and headed for his bike, the petite ninja covering his tracks. The tires screamed shrilly against the pavement, matching the engine's roar in equal volume as he sped away.

Misao grinned at the slithering darkness, "So, who's first?"

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Kaoru paced. To and fro. Back and forth. She was probably wearing a hole in the carpeted floor, but that really wasn't her problem.

Kenshin had left in absolute silence. Granted, she had rejected his... could that have been called a proposal? Anyway, she hadn't reacted very well at all to that bit of news. Perhaps he would sulk about it and they could make up later? He had been the best partner she had had in ages, and the woman felt somewhat sorry that it was probably going to be over before anything truly started. But there was no way on earth, or elsewhere that she would consider such a thing.

Marriage was just not in her cards.

She could feel the dark evil in the streets, the air, and knew Yumi was searching high and low for her. The woman was probably after everyone here too, if only for the sole reason that they had assisted her.

Sort of.

All she had ever wanted was a normal life, and dammit, why couldn't she be allowed that?! Kaoru flopped on the bed and buried her face in the pillow, bitter tears sliding down her face in hot, salty trails.

Life sucked.

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--END NOTES--

So? Like it? Hate it? Haven't had any real action in this story up to date, but expect increased dosages of it in future chapters. :) Sano is soooooo much fun to write, probably 'cause he doesn't take crap from anyone. Add the bad boy style, the strength, etc. and you have a great package to work with.  
Still devoted to Kenshin and Aoshi, but Sano ranks close behind.  
Please review and tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter VII A Moment's Weakness

_Sorry for the wait!! There's been tests galore, and as I have to keep a good grade average (or goodbye computer)--most of my free time went for studying. I also have a new story out, which is a little bit more chilled out than this (no blood, hahah), so that took up some time too. _

A quick question for reviewers: I know it's a little late to be asking this, but would you guys like me to respond to reviews on the next chapter or continue as I've been doing? I'll probably start that for the anonymous reviewers in any case.  
Anyways, hope you all enjoy! Transalations for the attacks the characters in this chapter use will be in the "**End Notes**."

**Disclaimer:** I'm going to try to bribe Watsuki-san into letting me own one of the characters for a day, but until then, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anybody from it. Too bad.

**--Chapter VII-A Moment's Weakness--**

_Fly  
__Open up the part of you that wants to hide away  
__You can shine,  
__Forget about the reasons why you can't in life,  
__And start to try, cause it's your time,  
__Time to fly._

_Any moment, everything can change,  
__Feel the wind on your shoulder,  
__For a minute, all the world can wait,  
__Let go of your yesterday._

--excerpts from _Fly_-by _Hilary Duff_--

Sidestep, turn, Misao evaded the clumsy punch with careless ease then struck, repeating the movements in her mind's eye to focus. A diamond bright flash of kunai was all the demon could see of the woman's weapon before the sharp blade made its sheath in the monster's wide throat. Blood sprayed as she tore the kunai from its lodging, pivoting to kick another demon in the gut for trying to sneak behind her.

An onmitsu's senses were always keen, sharpened like the weapons they carried, honed to a fine point. While she could never reach the level of Himura or Aoshi-sama, she could not be considered weak.

Her cerulean eyes shifted to her right and left, gauging the demons' strength. They circled, wary now of the petite woman. They had been warned about a specific group of rebels that opposed their queen's rule, they had also been ordered to destroy that group by any means. Rich rewards and power were promised to those who could bring proof of even one member's defeat. With such thoughts in their dark minds, they prepared to strike. Glory and honor meant nothing to such beings, but power was everything.

Fangs dripped with saliva and toxin, depending on the type of creature present. Claws and talons clenched and unclenched, wary eyes of all shapes, sizes, and types took in her every movement.

Misao noted with a slight spike of glee that there weren't any high leveled demons in the mix. True, they were strong, and could have possibly beaten Sanosuke because of his burden and the sheer number of them, but her hands were free and she had nothing to protect... besides her life, of course. A grin spread itself upon her features again, but missed her eyes. The lovely shade of blue had deepened and darkened with killing intent.

None besides her were leaving this place alive.

She tensed the muscles in her legs as the beasts moved in, ignoring the hideous sounds they made, ignoring the lust for blood in their eyes. Misao lept straight up into the air, high above the demons' heads. "Kansatsu Tobikunai!" With her fierce cry, the glinting daggers sped from her capable hands to bury themselves in the hearts of the surging mass below. Screams and howls filled the street at painful volumes, making the petite onmitsu wish she could cover her sensitive ears.

A second's worth of thought cost her. One of the demons threw himself up into the air after the landing kunoichi, raking his long talons across her left leg. Misao bit back a scream of pain as four jagged wounds were torn across her calf. Twisting her torso, she spun into a kick that sent the offending party flying to land sharply on the road, creating a tiny crater. Tears flooded her vision until she hurriedly blinked them away. Forcing herself to forget about the burning wound, she took note of her enemies.

Ten down, six to go.

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Sanosuke gritted his teeth until his jaw began to throb with the pressure. He had tried to call Aoshi to assist Misao, but between trying to steer and carrying Megumi... well, there's only so much a man can do when he only has two hands.

The bike flew down the road, just minutes away from shelter. His brown eyes narrowed into slits as he heard the woman moan slightly as she began to regain consciousness.

"Hey, you okay?" the fighter asked, trying not to let worry creep into his tones.

Megumi's wine-colored eyes opened slowly, her mouth pursed itself together thinly as a wave of pain washed over her. "What took you so long?"

"What were you doing there by yourself?!" Sano bit back, turning a corner.

"Hmph," how the woman managed to look disdainful in the condition she was in remained a mystery to Sanosuke, "You needn't try to make it sound as if it were my fault."

His angry eyes flickered down to hers, then back to the road, "Feh."

"Just because someone decided to disclose private details, does not make this my fault!" the woman snapped, then checked her rising temper as she noticed something. A coy smile flitted about her full lips as she raised her uninjured arm to press two manicured fingers under the man's chin. "You were worried, weren't you?"

He grunted, eyes suddenly fixed onto the road as they made the final turn, "As if. Someone had to go save you, and you owe weasel-girl a 'thank you'."

"What about you? Do you want a 'thank you' as well?"

The hand that gripped the handlebar tightened visibly, he wasn't so dense as to be unable to pick up on the teasing tone of her voice. Fortunately, he was saved from responding when she clutched her arm as it spasmed with pain. The arm of her doctor's coat was dark with blood. Not a good sign.

Squealing to a stop in front of the nondescript apartment building that currently housed the rebellion force headed by Kenshin and Aoshi, Sano took only the necessary time to yank his key out of the ignition before stumbling off the bike. Megumi took a shuddering breath to keep herself from shrieking in the baka's ear. "Watch it!" she hissed venomously as he walked as quickly as possible to the door. "Shut up." came the growled retort as he lifted up a small panel near the doorbell, painted and stressed to look like the wall around it. His dark brows furrowed together as he punched in the code to open the door. Luckily for him, no one had set the locks, and he stepped briskly inside as the door swung open.

"Hey, someone help me out here!" his voice rang loudly down the hall.

Soft steps could be heard, and within seconds Omasu peered down the hallway, stifling a yawn. "Sanosuke-san? What's the ma-"

"Megumi's hurt! Treat her wounds, will ya?" Sano showed the woman the blood-saturated sleeve, ignoring Megumi's protests.

"Bring her to my room." Omasu led the way, her dark, almond-shaped eyes full of questions, but she withheld from inquiring until the injured woman was safely deposited on a couch in her room, and had shooed Sano out.

"What happened, Megumi-san?"

The tall fighter paced outside the room, casting a worried glance at the door every so often, straining to try to decipher the few muffled words that managed to pass through the thick wood. He paused, chocolate orbs drifting to the right as he felt Kenshin's ki coming down the passage. Taking in the dark look featured upon the shorter man's face, he decided that a greeting could wait until later.

Kenshin was adept at controlling his feelings. No one in his right mind could say otherwise, but that moment with Kaoru had turned his world upside down and twisted it into a horribly confusing and tangled mess. It was not supposed to be like this. Koshijiro had never described his daughter as being scared to commit. Not once.

He noticed Aoshi stepping out of his room with a thick manila folder in hand. Silently, the okashira handed it over. Flipping it open with little more than the faintest trace of curiosity, Kenshin's violet-amber swirled orbs scanned the first few lines before widening in disbelief. Slim brows furrowed in concentration and his eyes narrowed in anger as he received the same news the others had heard earlier.

"They are dead?" he bit out the question tersely.

"Aa."

Sanosuke joined the two men, "Hey, Aoshi. Misao might need your help."

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Covered from head to toe in sweat and goodness-knows-what, the petite kunoichi flexed her right arm tiredly. It would've been a lot easier if the remaining demons hadn't developed a brain and attacked her as a team. Nevertheless, she thought as she kicked with her uninjured leg at a carcass, she had beat them with only minimal damage to herself. A proud smile lit her grimy features. Time to go home, relax, and drink a celebratory glass of sake.

A powerful ki approaching her had her body tensing, fingers gripping the retrieved kunai tightly, heart pounding, mind racing. Turning slightly to view her new opponent, she nearly dropped her kunai when her cerulean orbs took in the tall figure of Aoshi. Stuffing her weapons back into their respective places, she stared at the man, her expression clearly displaying her displeasure at seeing him there. Shoving back the blood-slicked hair that had fallen out of the intricate style she had put it up in that morning, the woman stalked over to the okashira, sandaled feet slapping sharply against the pavement.

"Rooster-head told you I couldn't handle it, didn't he?"

Aoshi remained silent, spurring on the petite onmitsu's wrath, "I knew it! That jerk! I'm going to kill him!"

While letting her rant and rave, he scanned the surrounding area. "Something is wrong."

"And then I'll-What?" Misao paused, confusion filling her oceanic blue eyes. "Whaddya mean? They're all dead, and nothing else is coming." She studied Aoshi's look and paled slightly, "Nothing else is coming..."

----------------------------------------------------------------x

"_Ryutsuisen-Zan_!"

A dark angel dived down from the night sky, wings folded against his body to pick up speed, his eyes burning golden with rage. The sword struck the demon's head heavily, neatly slicing the creature in two. Blood flowed like a crimson tide from its fallen corpse.

"Go!" his amber eyes flickered to his left to see the mother and child hesitate as they stood in the pale yellow haze of the streetlight. "Now!" he yelled in a commanding tone, pivoting to quickly deal a fatal blow to another monster who tried to get at the two quivering humans behind the wrathful swordsman. As they fled to the shelter of a nearby home, Kenshin, fueled by his anger and pent-up emotions, leveled a chilling glare at the dark masses before him. "Come, this sword shall taste your blood."

They froze as one. Suddenly, their hearts melted within them as they read their deaths in the man's eyes. "Move out of my way!" a tall, muscular demon roared at the others, scattering them away with his massive paws and sharp claws. "I will eat your flesh, Battousai!" he declared, cat-like eyes narrowing, attempting to stare down the shorter opponent.

Kenshin flicked his sword to remove the prior demon's blood, nonchalantly taking note of the challenger. With a lion's head, a juggernaut body, paws the size of trashcan lids for hands and feet, it towered over his shorter frame, a broad smirk curling up at the corners of its lips. "Not in one thousand years would you be enough to defeat me." he stated, dry amusement coloring his tone.

The demon's face contorted grotesquely in rage, "Why you--" He leaped forward, a battle cry bursting forth of his throat as he prepared to strike. "**URAAAH**!"

Suddenly, a ripping sensation tore through his midsection with blinding, white-hot pain-leaving a gaping wound in its wake. A wracking cough shuddered through his giant frame, sending blood flying from his mouth to land in crimson splatters on the ground. Turning to strike once more, his deadly claws ripped open the afterimage of Battousai's movement.

Diving low in front of the hideous monster, Kenshin tensed the muscles in his legs before releasing them to leap up high.

"_Ryushosen_!!"

The sword's keen tip pierced the pit of the giant creature's stomach, the edge slicing upwards through the creature's hide and muscle-past the horizontal wound previously inflicted, to cut open the lion demon's jugular as they both were sent upwards by the force of the attack. Turning, Kenshin avoided the immense spray of blood which instead rained down upon the dwindling horde below. As he landed, he took out three more with one blow. With vague detachment, the man noticed that the number of demons present had drastically fallen from the beginning of the battle. A wry smirk crossed his lips as he moved to strike the next unlucky victims who were idiotic enough to stick around.

"_Gatotsu_!" The man stiffened upon hearing the newcomer's voice. The remaining demons who tried to flee were cut down swiftly, exposing the darkly grinning face of the Wolf, Saito Hajime.

"Saito."

"Battousai."

The two men eyed each other, both dangerously powerful, both never letting go of the rivalry that had coursed through their veins for many, many years. Saito broke the silence with a sneer, "Still playing with weaklings, Battousai?"

"What do you want, Saito." the shorter man ground out, his eyes narrowed in disapproval at being interrupted by such a person.

"Hmph." Golden orbs gleamed with a feral sheen, seen easily through the long, wispy bangs that had separated themselves from the rest of his jet black hair which was slicked back to keep out of his face. Nonchalantly, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, selected one and proceeded to light it. Saito almost smirked at how irked the Battousai was getting at his actions, but why bother letting him know that he was paying any attention to the other man's reaction? He exhaled a cloud of smoke after taking a long drag from the cigarette. "There's been rumors going around town. They say Battousai has found Kamiya's daughter and plans to overthrow Yumi with the girl's help." The man paused, allowing time for the words to truly sink in, "What do you say about this?"

Kenshin cleaned his sword in silence, then sheathed it. "What is it to you?"

"We're both allies in this cause. Let's act like it." this time, the Wolf did allow a smirk to cross his face, enjoying himself as he took in the dark look on Kenshin's face. "Besides, I have no interest in the girl outside of her displacing the current monarch. Rest at ease."

If looks could kill, Saito was sure he would have been dead that very moment. Not like it was the first time he had received such a look, mind you, but this one was especially intense. Tch. The idiot must have fallen for the Kamiya girl. "One of my patrols has captured a member of Shishio's Juppongatana, a man named Chou. We have... extracted information from him, concerning Shishio's plans."

"Perhaps you wouldn't mind discussing this at the base?" The Wolf nodded bruskly and followed Kenshin as he turned sharply on his heel and walked away, both men disappearing as their forms were swallowed up by the darkness.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Finally giving up on being able to check up on Megumi, the tall fighter had settled down on in the hallway leading to the front door, long legs stretched out and his back to the wall. He was hoping Kenshin would come back relatively soon, as he wanted to probe the man for details, but within five minutes the blissful realm of unconsciousness had claimed him.

A booming knock at the door startled Sanosuke out of sleep and into an irate mood. "I'm coming, hold up on the knocking!" he growled out, getting to his feet stiffly. 'Man, gotta remember to make it to the couch next time.' Staggering down the hall, he felt as though needles were pricking his legs with every step. As he slowly managed to put in the combination for the door and unlocked the various other locks, he opened the door. The man's chocolate orbs suddenly widened as he took a step backwards, "Y-you?!"

"Yes, me. Where's that baka deshi of mine at?" The towering form of Hiko Seijuro filled the doorway, his dark eyes roving the dark interior before stepping inside, his long cape swirling about his form. "Running off and leaving me to take care of--hmm?"

Sanosuke finished closing and relocking the door. He turned to Hiko in mild surprise, "What?"

"Who is your visitor?"

"Who?" the young fighter paused, racking his brains for the possible answer to this question. "Oh! I guess you mean jo-chan." Seeing the look on the master of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu's face, he expounded upon the answer, "That girl Kenshin brought in, Kamiya Kaoru."

"So," a smirk played about the man's mouth, making him look-in Sano's eyes-almost evil, "He found Kamiya's daughter."

"Ummm... yeah." Scratching the back of his head in confusion, he was about to ask a question before seeing a truly evil look cross Hiko's face and decided against it.

"He couldn't feel bothered to inform his master, eh?" the tall man opened the black traveling bag he carried and withdrew a large bottle of sake. Popping the cork off, he lifted it to his mouth and took in a mouthful. "I wonder what excuse he'll have for that?" Hiko wondered aloud after swallowing the liquor.

Sano gulped, feeling glad he wasn't in Kenshin's shoes. That gleam in the black-haired man's eyes stated clearly that Kenshin would not be experiencing a happy reunion with his master.

"Show me Kamiya's room." Hiko commanded imperiously. With a grumble in his thoughts, for the rooster-haired punk had learned a long time before that it was not wise to verbally mutter complaints, he led the way to Kaoru's room, feeling a slight measure of pity for her. It was soon swept away by the relieved knowledge that he would not have to entertain the man until Kenshin got back.

Sano's broad fist knocked sharply on the wooden door of Kaoru's room. "Oi, jo-chan! You awake? Jo-chan?"

Kaoru ignored the muted calls and continued in her decent. Inside the room was a mess of scattered clothes and torn linen, looking as though someone had broken in merely to vandalize. The window hung open wide, and a curious rope made of some of the torn linen could be seen stretched tautly across the bottom of the frame. If one looked down, he could see the figure of a young woman climbing down the four-story building. 'I should've jumped.' Kaoru grumbled to herself as she lowered herself down inch by inch, 'But if I hit something in the dark, and if he had caught me like that... well, I would feel incredibly stupid all the way around.'

"Jo-chan!" a man's voice called at her window. Startled, she looked up to see a mass of brown hair and a scowling face, "What the heck are ya doin'?"

Blowing a raspberry at him impudently, she ignored his shouts and continued. When he shut up, and left the window, she climbed faster. Sweat began to drip down her face as she concentrated. There was no way she was going to let that guy catch her. She slithered down faster and faster, but noticed that the end of the rope was coming up to greet her and she was still facing that same patch of wall she had been glancing at for the past couple of minutes. 'Wait a minute! This goes against all the rules! I should be near the ground and-' "Kiyaaah!" the woman shrieked in surprise as she found herself suddenly hauled up the wall at a shocking speed and back through the window, her knees and elbows banging smartly against the wall and window before she tumbled in a heap to the floor.

"Well, well, Kamiya Kaoru was it?" Kaoru's sapphire-blue orbs opened dazedly to stare up into the dark eyes of Hiko Seijuro. "Where are you off to at this hour?"

Kaoru swallowed, hard, as she twisted her fingers nervously. If she had ever thought that Kenshin's aura felt powerful, this guy's was at least twice as powerful as his. Crap, she _knew _she should have left earlier.

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--END NOTES--

Just in case anyone was curious about what the attacks' names meant. (Gathered from the manga and wikipedia)

Kansatsu Tobikunai—Piercing/Killing Flying Daggers

Ryutsuisen-Zan—Dragon Hammer Flash-Cruelty

Ryushosen—Dragon Flight Flash

Gatotsu—Fang Thrust


	8. Chapter VIII Confrontations

_Yay! New chapter!! Hopefully you guys will like it! Sorry for the shortness of it, but the remaining chapters will be much longer! This is setting the stage for the beginning of the end... though you all might not want to hear that? Anyways, replies to the reviewers from the previous chapter are at the bottom. I'm trying something new, lol._

_Also... I might... emphasis on might, mind you, insert some lime into this... depending on viewers wishes. But, there will be absolutely no lemons. Sorry, but this is rated_ **T**_ for a reason (DM doesn't wish to write_ _any heavily citrusy things_ _at this point in time, as she is a little too lazy to go into enough detail to make it a good read)--although I have no objections if anyone would like to write a lemon based on this story, just tell me if you do so I can go read and review. :)_

**Disclaimer:** I have still yet to find that loophole in the law that will let me unconditionally own Ruroken and its characters. ... Yet. (grin)

**--Chapter VIII-Confrontations--**

_Go ahead and try  
__Try and look me in the eye  
__But you'll never see inside  
__Until you realize, realize  
__Things are trying to settle down  
__Just try to figure out  
__Exactly what I'm about  
__If it's with or without you  
__I don't need you doubting me_.

--_Nobody's Fool_-by _Avril Lavigne_--

With her stomach feeling as though she had suddenly swallowed lead, Kaoru fought to control her racing heartbeat. Her face became calm before a mask of anger and irritation was firmly attached. "Move back about five feet, buddy, or you _will_ end up in a body cast." she hissed warningly, having previously noted that he was far too close to her for her liking. Kaoru's personal space was there for a reason. No one like ending up looking like human sushi, right? Right.

Hiko laughed at this bold statement, and obliged... more or less to the woman's demands as he settled his hulking weight on a nearby chair. Kaoru wondered, in the tucked away corner of her mind in a box labeled "vague interest about enemies," if he'd ever won any fitness awards during his lifetime. "You haven't yet answered my question, Kamiya."

Kaoru grinned at him, more of a snarl than a grin as she bared her teeth, "Why on earth do you want to know?" The moonlight pouring in from the window shone liquid silver upon the woman's thin frame, highlighting the dark gleam of her hair and the anger churning ferociously in her eyes.

The man studied her intently, with dark eyes that made Kaoru feel as though he could see through her like glass, "Just answer the question." Hearing Kenshin and Saitou enter the building, he let his eyes rove over to the doorway. "Go tell them of my presence and shut the door behind you." His baka deshi and the wolf would already have sensed his presence, just as he had theirs, but he didn't want the tall fighter to stay in the room at the present moment.

With an inward complaint about being treated as though he were a servant, Sanosuke slowly made his way across the littered floor and closed the door none too softly behind him as he departed. His heavy footsteps sounded loud against the wooden floor as the fighter stalked downstairs in a bad mood.

The sapphire-eyed woman studied the man in front of her intently. With an all-too cheerful grin stretching her lips and a bright, singsong voice reminiscent of a childhood long stolen away, she replied, "I was just going outside to pick some flowers."

Hiko raised a skeptical eyebrow at this, "At night."

"Yep. I was going to make some daisy chains, to put on your grave, Hiko Seijuro." The singsong pitch began to wither and turn cold, dark, malicious at the end of her sentence. "You let them take away my father. I had no protection, nowhere to run, and you sit on your lazy ass and just watch while I'm being turned into some hideous freak!" she hissed, both powers licking like a dark flame at the edge of her consciousness, asking her to use them. Demanding her to seek retribution for what had been done to her. Silver waged war with ruby red for dominion in her eyes, both wanted to taste the man's blood. Now.

The power of the ancients that ran through her blood was no less fearsome than the darker power of the other blood that swam the same current. It was simply more kindly looked upon.

Hiko sighed and bowed his head. "You're right, Kamiya. I miscalculated. By the time I knew of your father's whereabouts and had sent my idiotic student to retrieve him... it was too late to do anything for him. I failed to locate you, resulting in your torture and mixed blood." he acknowledged, as close to an apology as he would ever concede to.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes turbulent as ruby and silver flashed in furious sparks, almost overriding the original sapphire blue of her orbs. "So, you expect me to just say 'I forgive you' and that's that?" she asked crossly, already itching to tear that arrogant look from the man's shadowed face. Too bad she'd probably end up dead. Or made to dance to his flute, like she had been forced to do so many times before under other people. Hiko wasn't the only one who had sensed the men's presence downstairs.

Hiko smirked, "That would be nice, but I highly doubt you'd be willing to do so." Almost chuckling at the furious and indignant look that briefly crossed Kaoru's face, he shook his head and pulled out a file from his traveling bag. He saw Kaoru glance at it suspiciously as he flipped it open. "I have some information on that fool, if you're interested."

Kaoru looked away from the folder to eye him warily, "Why would I want information on him?"

"I'm willing to bet he told you about Kamiya's wishes for you?" he leaned back in his chair, amusement playing about his eyes as he studied the way Kaoru's jaw tightened with an almost audible click. "That would be a 'yes'." Rifling through a couple pages, the man appeared to have found the page he was looking for and pulled it out, reading it silently in the dim light.

The woman continued to glare at him, allowing her imagination to have a field day with how she wanted to kill him. So many possibilities... She was still trying as best as she could to refrain from physically tearing Hiko from limb to limb... though it'd make her feel a lot better--it would be a stupid move, in light of who exactly lived in the building she currently resided in. Too bad, she'd just have to play with all the sharp, pointy things and the man across from her mentally.

"Let's see... ah, yes. That baka let himself be poisoned during the mission, and almost died from that little incident. In addition to the poison, he was under a heavy curse, thanks to Yumi's favorite mage catching him." Hiko snorted, "He was particularly idiotic during that operation."

"And?" Kaoru ground out, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. She could really care less at the moment about what injuries Kenshin sustained during whatever he had been doing.

"Your father, under a fairly nasty curse himself, decided to use his remaining powers to heal the baka and get him out of Yumi's stronghold." Allowing just a brief moment to let his words sink in, he continued, flipping through a couple more pages. "Even though the curse would kill him for using his power, Kamiya opted to save the boy and put him forever in his debt." Dark eyes looked up, stared into narrowed silver and ruby swirled orbs, "Meaning he is indebted to you, as you are the only survivor of the Kamiya lineage."

The implication of this set in. A calculating smile curved up the corners of Kaoru's full mouth before another thought hit her, causing her face to darken once again. "He'd still have to marry me in order to feel as though he has carried out my father's wishes, wouldn't he?" It would be the understatement of the year to say she hoped the man would say no. Her stomach clenched painfully. She already knew the answer.

A brief nod from Hiko had the woman rub at her temples in aggravation. "Damn."

He grinned darkly, the shadows casting an eerie note upon his handsome features, "You can't run from destiny."

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Yahiko glared up at the two men entering the room, his nose crinkling with distaste at the scent of smoke that emanated from the taller of the two. "Dammit! I'm injured, go smoke somewhere else!"

With a smirk, Saito neared the boy and put out the cigarette on the cast surrounding the boy's broken arm. Ignoring Yahiko's indignant howls and futile attempts to swipe at him in retaliation, the Wolf turned to face Kenshin. His eyes, however, strayed to the far side of the room. "Katsura. Didn't think I'd find you here."

A tall, handsome man nodded from his seat on the couch. "Ah, yes. Saito-san, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Katsura-san, did you come with-" Kenshin left the end hanging, waiting politely for the official to speak--though his insides were wound tight with apprehension.

He nodded, his dark hair gleaming in the mild light almost as much as his dark eyes. "I came with Hiko-san. Though," he paused to take a sip of the hot tea he held cradled in his hands, "It would be more accurate to say I came _after_ he did. The man travels very quickly, as I'm sure you are well aware of."

Yahiko's cinnamon eyes studied the scene intently. It seemed that Hiko's and Katsura's presence had thrown off both Kenshin and Saito in some measure--the stiffness of both the men's stances gave it away. If you knew what to look for, of course.

With the smallest of bows, Kenshin inclined his fiery head towards the dark hallways, "Shall we discuss this in the morning?"

Golden eyes turned downwards with a slight sneer in their twin depths, "Tired, Battousai?"

"I do not wish to tire Katsura-san further." 'Or face Shishou.' he thought, face schooled into a blank mask of politeness. His eyes, a dangerous amber color, dared the swordsman to say anything further.

Before anything could begin, Katsura Kogoro stood up and placed the cup gently on the desk nearby, "If you would be so kind as to show me to a room, Himura, I would be more than happy to discuss the current state of our country in the morning."

Both men turned to face him, earlier barbs laid aside for that moment. "State of our country?" Kenshin's eyes narrowed, as if trying to pry the information out of the man's mind.

Saito stared down at Katsura, his face devoid of any emotion save for mild curiosity. "Has your spy work paid off?"

"It has." he assented calmly. "Further discussion will be accepted in later morning hours, if you would be so kind." With a slight nod to the Wolf, he followed Kenshin out of the room.

The boy strained against his casts and bandaging, inciting more than a few painful twinges. "Owwwowow!! Darn it, I get beat up, and I don't even get to hear the good stuff." he grumbled, resting his head back down gingerly.

"Wake up within the next five hours, and you might catch something." came Saito's brief reply before he settled his lanky form on the deserted couch, preparing a mental list of what he would divulge in the next few hours.

"Yo! Kenshin!" Sanosuke burst into the room, startling Yahiko and causing the other man to seriously consider lighting another cigarette. A confused look passed over the tall fighter's features, "Oi, Yahiko, where'd he go?"

"Go get some sleep, idiot." the Wolf interrupted just as the young boy began to open his mouth. "You'll need it."

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Shut it for awhile." His dismissive tone immediately set Sanosuke on edge. Yahiko did his best to keep from grinning when he heard the rooster-headed man's teeth begin grinding together in temper. Turning sharply on his heel, Sano left the room in high temper. As he left, it seemed as though the temperature dropped to a more comfortable level.

"Idiot." the Wolf stated blandly, causing the boy to snicker quietly.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Midnight struck. The wind whispered solemnly through the deserted streets, the metallic tang of blood still present on its chilling fingers. Misao shivered, not liking the feel of the atmosphere at all. A sudden warmth draped itself upon her shoulders. With faint surprise in her cerulean orbs, she looked up at the silver-outlined form of Aoshi questioningly, fingering the trench coat that hung heavily upon her slim frame.

"It's getting colder." was the brief response. His face was studiously calm, but his hands were ever near his twin kodachi, ready if need be.

"Yumi-sama, I have found two of the rebels." the mage looked up from his seeing glass, a delicate structure of silver wound in intricate, swirling patterns to form the base for the circular mirror of liquid silver that stood atop it. His eyes were shadowed, not by lack of sleep, but with the taint of evil he had traded his soul for.

_The curvaceous woman stood up from her seat nearby to peer over his shoulder, swirling the dark wine in her glass lazily. "Who is it, Hoji?"_

_A wide smile over swept his previous concentrated look, "Shinomori Aoshi and Makimachi Misao. Shall I send someone to dispatch them?"_

_Yumi turned to look at her lover questioningly._

_Shishio nodded his bandaged head, a cruel smirk about his burnt lips, "Send Soujiro and Kamatari."_

_Hoji glanced up in surprise, the shadows wreaking havoc upon his thin face, "But perhaps Soujiro shouldn't--"_

_"Send the boy." came the flat command, one which the mage hastened to obey with all alacrity. "Yes, Shishio-sama."  
_

"Misao-chan. Long time no see." Soujiro's cheerful voice rang out pleasantly in greeting. He walked closer to the two with soft steps, his light blue jacket standing out in the darkness to highlight his slim torso.

The woman turned, shock etched into her cerulean orbs. "Sou... Sou-chan?" she gaped at the young man in astonishment, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Aoshi's grip on the dual kodachi tightened perceptibly upon this turn of events, his eyes appearing as hard and flinty as ice.

Soujiro smiled, "Yumi-sama has requested that we kill you. Rather unfortunate, in my way of thinking, but orders are orders, ne? Misao-chan." He smiled even more at the stunned reaction the petite kunoichi gave upon hearing the word 'we.' "Shishio-sama, in fact, ordered both Kamatari-san and me to complete this task."

"Yes, Shishio-sama commands and we follow." Another figure emerged from the darkness to stand by Soujiro. The man's feminine appearance threw Misao off a little, her mind going frantic with busy thoughts as the man winked amiably at her. He toyed absentmindedly with the sleeve of his modified Japanese kimono, as if waiting for them to make the first move.

'So _not_ fair!! That guy looks cuter than me!!' she sniffled mentally, then darted a quick glance towards Aoshi. 'At least Aoshi -sama wouldn't think so...' The woman shook her head to clear away the stray thoughts, and pointed a kunai in the men's direction. "Look, I just had to deal with a bunch of Yumi's goons--so back off, 'cause I'm not in a good mood!"

"Oho!" the red-head chuckled, his chestnut-brown eyes crinkling in mirth, "I can definitely see that."

Soujiro grinned as well, sapphire blue orbs taking in Misao's grimy appearance, "Yes, it would seem they did some damage to your appearance." He crouched slightly, moving gracefully into his battoujutsu stance, hand held near to the hilt of his sheathed sword. "My apologies, Misao-chan, Shinomori-san, but I cannot dally here. Ready yourselves."

Kamatari readied his giant scythe, the counterweight swinging heavily on its chain with a warning hiss. "Yes, let's start the fight!" He began to swing the heavy weapon above his head in fluid motions, the blade glinting wickedly in the moonlight.

Misao gritted her teeth and prepared her kunai, readying herself for the first blow. The tall, silent man beside her drew his kodachi from their sheaths, the swords rasping faintly against the metal sheath as they were drawn. Settling himself into a battle ready position, his ice-blue eyes narrowed as they watched his enemies move.

The time to strike was now.

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--END NOTES--

Whew!! (_wipes forehead_) It's the beginning of the end!! I do apologize for the extremely short chapter, but rest in peace knowing that the remaining chapters will be long. :D As soon as I'm finished with this story, I'm going to go back and edit/rewrite everything. (_sighs_) I was going back through it the other day and… well… yeah.

Thank you so much for your support!! I really appreciate it!! Keep it up!!

**wanderingwarrior**—I'm glad that you thought it was an awesome chapter! I can't give away too much about Kaoru's future circumstances right now, but the following chapters will hopefully explain everything. :)

**hitokiri angel**--:D I'm trying to keep everything interesting, so everyone will keep loving it, hahah. Keeping the quality of a multi-chaptered story high is pretty difficult, but I'll try to stick with it.

**Crewel**—I'm very sorry… there's no SxM interaction in this chapter. I love writing the different pairings, but I couldn't stick much in this one. I'll definitely try to insert some SxM moments in this fic though, along with the others. Promise!

**Lil' Nozomi**—I'm happy to know that you like this!

**antica**—Hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint you… I'm glad to hear positive feedback about the story, so I am taking a great deal of care to try to avoid disappointing readers.

**iluvchocs**—Hahah! Kaoru and Hiko were a lot of fun to play with… err, I mean, work with in this chapter. It was also challenging, as Hiko is polite to most people (_with the obvious exception of Kenshin_), and as I forgot how he talked to her in the anime… and in the manga he doesn't ever call her by name, I winged it. (_DM is ashamed to admit her crime_) Lol. Glad you liked my attempt at humor in the prior chapter. :) Hope you continue to like the two's interaction!


	9. Chapter IX A Sword's Path

TT.TT_ I'm soooooo sorry everyone!! It's been a hectic month, and I still have a couple of finals to finish up next week—and my summer's going to be fun-filled as I'm going to be working a job (hopefully two), writing essays/stories for scholarships, and studying for my CLEP tests. Not to mention working on my portfolio for next year… so many apologies for the lateness of this update!! _(_Anyone who is curious enough to read the first chapter of the story I'm working on for a scholarship, feel free to email me and I'll send it to you._)

_I had to chop the chapter in half, as it wasn't completed yet, but I felt that you guys deserved an update. :3 As it is chopped in half, the SxM, KxK, and AxM (plus Kenshin's facing Hiko) action is missing, but look forward to heavy doses next chapter!! _

_I'm currently toying with the idea of hosting an art contest for _**THW**_, first place winner receiving the choice of a lengthy one-shot with their pick of pairings (as long as it's not yaoi or yuri) and plot, or two songfics with the same choices. Anyone think it's a good idea? I know a lot of people read this, so I'm kind of curious about how many artists are among my readers. _:)

**Disclaimer:** I only own a complete collection of the ruroken manga, so don't sue! (you'd only get half price for the used books anyway)

**--Chapter IX-A Sword's Path-- **

_All alone at midnight,  
__Storm's howling fills the air,  
__I stand alone wishing for sight-  
__Blind eyes searching for you there. _

_Why can't you help me?  
__Can't you hear my screams?  
__Raging lightning echoes faintly,  
__In the dark void of my dreams. _

--_Void of Dreams_-by _DM_--

_Recap of story thus far: _

_Kamiya Kaoru, a young woman with extraordinary powers thanks to both her heritage and the royal scientists' experimentations, is on the run from what has now been identified as Yumi's special forces. The queen seeks to find and recapture Kaoru at all costs, but did not calculate the interference of a certain dark-winged assassin into her plans. Presently, hidden and protected by swordsman Himura Kenshin, the Oniwabanshu, and Sagara Sanosuke, Kaoru struggles to come to terms with her fate and what lies before her. Shishio's Juppongatana (ten swords) are now brought forth, as the semi-final means of getting the young woman back under Yumi's control. Other figures, rebelling against the Dark Queen's control, step forward out of the shadows to help Kaoru reclaim the throne. _

_To willingly embrace destiny is a hard matter to do_.

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"Hey, Sou-chan?" Misao turned to look up at her boyfriend, blue eyes under knitted brows darkening with worry.

"Yes, Misao?"

"Someone told me that you work for Yumi. You don't, right?" her voice shook slightly, hoping and pleading laced the heavy question. 'Han'nya-kun, please be wrong. Please.' Aoshi-sama had been disapproving of her relationship to begin with, but as he had said nothing verbally, Misao had felt that it would be fine. She had, over time, grown to love the man beside her. Even if he could never be as adamantly loved as her Okashira, Seta Soujiro, with his boyish smile and kind spirit, had won his own place in her large heart. But now, her over-sized heart was breaking a little at a time. She could almost hear the shattered pieces falling like glass to the ground.

He moved slightly away from her, his warmth disappearing quickly from her skin to be replaced with an ill-omened chill. The grin slid like water from his face, his equally blue orbs turning hard and probing. "Someone? Who would tell you something like that, Misao-chan?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, fears racking up like ice cold lumps in her chest. "Just someone."

"Ah." With a small sigh, he moved farther away from her petite form to the other side of the loveseat. His smile had been carefully pasted back on. Misao was hurt and more than slightly offended that he had felt the need to protect himself from her.

Hadn't he promised to be more open with her?

"I do serve Yumi-sama at the moment." he confessed after a tense moment of silence. "However, it is only because Shishio-sama has decided to be with her."

She bit her lip. Hard.

Blood began to drip from the small wound her pearl-white teeth had made, looking startling dark against her blanched skin. A strangled sob tore through her throat, violently racking her slim frame. "Why?" she choked out, "Why, Soujiro?" Her hands clenched tightly into balled fists, glistening oceanic orbs turned to stare into his with a fierce light glinting in them like war-fire, "I thought you said no more secrets!"

"Misao-chan," his eyes held some emotion she could not name, "Can you not trust me?"

"How can I when you're working for the enemy!" she shrieked, tears pouring like scalding water down her flushed cheeks.

Rain began to pour outside, the water droplets beating violently against the window as thunder roared out in fury, matching the emotions tearing through her soul. Lightning slashed white-hot through the air, pouring in through the screen-less window, illuminating the shadows on both of their faces.

A heavy silence broken only by the woman's muted cries and the fitful sound of the storm filled the room.

Soujiro stood up, his normally cheerful face saddened and reserved. "Is it over then, Misao-chan?"

She nodded, unable to either speak or to look at him, causing her to miss the torn look that briefly crossed the man's face.

"Good-bye, Misao." he whispered quietly, sorrow echoing huskily in his tones. With silent, swift steps, he left the apartment--leaving a broken-hearted woman behind.

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Misao barely dodged the bright edge of Soujiro's blade. Her blue eyes widened in fear as she suddenly, viciously realized she was no match for him. Heaven's Sword Soujiro, master of Shukuchi, once one of the two loves of her life, was now her opponent. Bile rose in her throat as she felt the hilt of his katana jab painfully into her stomach. Black mists and blinding dots filled her vision as the woman staggered back, chest heaving as she fought desperately to regain control. Cerulean eyes were wide and glassy with both fear and aching grief as she swayed painfully on the spot.

Gripping her kunai with a firmer hold, Misao turned to strike. Soujiro's blue eyes stared evenly into her own, grim resolution buried deeply behind the smiling mask of his face, his blade at her throat.

"Soujiro..." A tiny line of red appeared upon the creamy skin of her throat. The man watched in morbid fascination as the small wound wept a single drop of blood.

Her gaze hardened, turning hurt and angry as she brandished a handful of kunai, "Stop playing around, Soujiro! I'm _not_ going to tolerate it!"

The woman's words caused a bleak smile to cross his lips, "I am not playing with you, Misao." He leaped backwards with speed faster than her desperate eyes could follow, sword coming up out of sheer instinct to block her attack.

"Then what are you doing?!" a swift kick to his stomach followed, irritation flared as he deftly stepped out of her range of attack.

"I am trying to kill you," came the bitter response.

"I wouldn't look away if I were you." the scythe's blade came whistling fiercely down towards Aoshi's distracted form. Years of training prevented the Okashira's head from being neatly severed from his body, but the distraction had put him at a slight disadvantage. The twin blades screeched with a sharp metallic note as they fended off Kamatari's giant weapon. He didn't bother favoring the odd man with a reply as he began to draw upon his widely renowned self-control and deadly focus. This battle had to be finished quickly. There was no time to lose.

Aoshi pushed away his fear for Misao's life to an even deeper recess of his spirit. If he wanted to save her--as there was no chance she could possibly survive against Soujiro, even with her level of competence at fighting--this man would have to go.

Kamatari grinned at the stoic man, noticing the determination that briefly flickered in his icy orbs. "Great! Now we can finally start!" With a master's ease, he settled into another stance and began to ready his attack. Being able to fight the mysterious Okashira of the notorious rebellion group, the Oniwabanshu, was a decidedly nice perk for his job. Shishio-sama would most definitely be pleased if he came back with the man's head. His scythe glinted eerily in the dim light of the streetlights and the silver moonlight, while the same light shimmered on the swirling chain. The hissing metallic rattle of both the sword and chain's controlled motions brought a wider smile to his lips.

Aoshi Shinomori was rumored to be highly skilled in both offensive and defensive attacks, just as he was. It was time to see who was the better of the two.

The silent man readied his kodachi in answer to the cross-dresser's preparatory attack. His image blurred, making it hard for Kamatari to see him in the darkness. Kaiten Kenbu (1), one of the secret moves of the legendary Okashira. Truly an honor to be deemed worthy enough to have it considered necessary to use.

"Midare Benten (2)!!" A move at once both offensive and defensive--shattering everything in its path (3). 'Let's see how the Okashira handles this!' the red-head smirked as the steady barrage of both the deadly scythe seeking to sever the opponent, and the protective wall created by the chain and counter-weight prevented the flowing movement of the kodachi to land a hit. Suddenly, a deadly sheen of silver appeared in Kamatari's vision. His dark eyes widened in surprise as his body recoiled from the deadly strike. Two long, bleeding ruby lines scored both sides of Kamatair's neck, narrowly missing the man's jugular.

With a slightly trembling hand, he gingerly touched one of the wounds and came back with red-tipped fingers. Eyes narrowing, he managed to still grin--a fierce look that promised death. "Very good, Aoshi. Let's see if you have anything better!!" he struck out at the blurred darkness, the scythe's blade shrieking madly as it ripped through the air.

Misao's heart nearly stopped as she saw a flicker of agonized pain tear through Soujiro's eyes at his words. Inside, her soul screamed furiously at life. Screamed, cursed, wept--a horrible tornado of sheer misery at how unfair this all was. She wanted to live. She wanted to love. She had loved him as she loved Aoshi-sama. A hard lump swelled in her throat as scalding tears blinded her vision. A brittle laughed, almost hysterical sounding (was that _her_ laugh?), forced its way around that cursed lump and out of her mouth.

She wondered if this was how it felt to go insane.

Soujiro stared at the woman in hidden puzzlement and wondered if she was giving up. It certainly seemed so, as the firm grip she had had on her kunai loosened. He watched in inner horror as they slipped from her hands and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Misao looked up, her tears slowly falling away. Her gaze was hard and determined as she stared down the man in front of her. The man with the boyish smile that she still had a place in her large heart for. The large heart that was still breaking.

Her full mouth opened slowly, petal pink lips forming words that Soujiro strained to hear through the blood suddenly pounding in his ears. His heart beat too quickly, his palms began to sweat and the man felt his throat constrict painfully as he finally made out the words.

"_Kill me_."

Misao knew for a fact that this was an enormous gamble she was risking. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the man could indeed kill her. She also knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it would be extremely hard for him to do so. The petite woman was not going to give him the easy way out. To fight him would only make it easier for Soujiro to run his blade through her. As it was not in her best interests to aid him in this cause, she decided this was her best course of action.

Now, it was up to his heart. She could only hope she would win this gamble.

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The ambassadors and other high-ranking officials filed out of the meeting room, a colorful display surrounded by both their personal guards and the castle's guards. Hiko's frown deepened as he watched the last one exit, before turning to his liege lord, worry flashing mutely in his dark eyes. "Koshijiro-sama, I don't think that Yumi-sama is content to sit back and let your daughter grow old enough to rule the kingdom. She will try something." His large hands clenched themselves discretely within the voluminous folds of his white, red-lined cloak.

Koshijiro sat back, rubbing his face with tired movements. The crown was always such a heavy weight. "Yes, my cousin does seem to have set high goals for herself." He dismissed the remaining guards with a smile and a kind word. They departed, with deep bows and inclined heads. Koshijiro made certain to never take for granted the loyalty he was given by those underneath his rule, no matter how small a part they played. It was one of the many characteristics about the monarch that created a deep sense of devotion and respect towards him and his family, from both those in his administration and the people he governed.

"Hiko?"

"Yes, sir?" the large man wondered at the questioning tone his king used.

"We are now alone, so do please drop the honorifics." Koshijiro made a show of having an extremely bad headache, "All the bowing and scraping from earlier has quite done me in."

Hiko bowed slightly, "As you wish."

The king glanced fondly down at the Royal Captain of Imperial Defense, the man responsible for the keep of the royal family and his kingdom. A hefty burden for the man's broad shoulders to bear. Even so, there was no one more adept at his job than Hiko Seijuro, a man held as dear to his heart as a brother. "When will your apprentice arrive?"

With a roll of the eyes, the giant man shrugged, "With that fool? Perhaps within the next few--" He paused suddenly, a smirk crossing his lips as his keen hearing discerned the faint running steps of his student, "Ah, never mind. He is here now."

The door to the royal meeting room swung open sharply, hitting the wall behind it with a groaning thud. "Shishou!"

Koshijiro watched in much amusement as the tiny slip of a red-headed boy dashed into the room. His smile faded slightly as he studied the swords upon the boy's hip with darkening eyes. 'To think that a child must learn to fight a man's war.' he sighed with sorrow inwardly.

Hiko rapped a fist against the child's head, inducing a muffled cry of pain from the boy. "What have I told you about showing up on time, baka deshi!"

Kenshin frowned, his violet eyes narrowing as amber flecks glinted angrily, "I am on time, Shishou!!" He held up a small watch he had paused to shove in his pocket that morning, and felt extremely thankful that he had.

The swordsmaster studied the face of the watch with apparent disinterest, then rapped his pupil's head again. "Don't try to correct your master!"

Koshijiro beckoned the boy to come stand before him, restraining his laughter as the child glared back at Hiko. "Himura Kenshin, correct?" Continuing at the boy's nod of assent, "I have a task for you. It may be one of the hardest things you may ever half to do in the entirety of your existence, but your master feels confident that you will be able to fit the role required."

Kenshin cocked his head to the side, wide violet eyes questioning the king silently. It was extremely hard to believe Shishou would feel anything but arrogant disdain towards him. The fact that the king himself wished for Kenshin to do something came in second in the boy's current meter of surprising incidents.

"I wish for you to train as hard as you possibly can, strive to better yourself as much as you are able to, and make yourself an honorable man--as when your master steps down from his captaincy, I would like you to replace him." Koshijiro's imperious, yet kind tones rang with strength in the quietness of the room. Despite being puzzled, Kenshin was in slight awe at the power in his liege lord's voice. No wonder Shishou respected him.

Hiko snorted loudly at the confused expression upon his student's face. "Don't expect that to happen anytime soon. But, perhaps with a great deal of work on your part, you might become good enough to serve your king." A broad smirk quirked one side of his mouth upwards, "Of course, you will never be as good as me--but maybe you can still be useful."

The somewhat elated expression on Kenshin's face died with the last statement. "Shishou..." he growled out.

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Hiko rubbed his tired eyes, trying to ignore the morning light streaming in brightly through the still open window. A frown settled deeply upon his dark brows. He hadn't had to dream of Koshijiro in a long time, perhaps the past was revisiting to make clear the need to rid the country of Yumi and her pests.

There were still many who stayed loyal to the Kamiya family, the only true heirs to the throne. As long as there were still those who would support Kaoru Kamiya as the new queen, Hiko strongly felt that the war would indeed be won. Though... his eyes traveled to the sprawled form of the woman in question. Her eyes fluttered rapidly in her sleep, brows furrowed as she dreamed. With a sigh, he wondered if the girl would be capable of handling the great task she had been born to do.

No. He shook his head, the long, dark locks of his hair swaying with the motion, she would be capable. Even if he had to coach her every step of the way, she would meet _all_ expectations.

There was no choice. If they tried to place anyone else on the throne, no matter how capable, the people would revolt. The masses would simply see this as another way to keep the population in chains, and really--who wanted a civil war on their hands? No, the country needed to recover. War would deal a fatal blow. They were already pushing it as is with the trouble they faced removing Yumi.

As if feeling the pressure of Hiko's stare, Kaoru groggily roused herself from sleep. Cracking open one blue, sleep-filled orb, she tried to muster up enough energy to glare, but failed dismally to her sever disappointment. "What d'ya want?" the woman grumbled, wishing for several more hours of sleep and some desperately needed alone time. She was starting to really tire of males in general.

The giant of a man merely shook his head, a smirk playing about his lips. How unlike Koshijiro the girl was, and yet the mirror image of the king at the same time. Recalling her earlier escapade with a stifled chuckle, he stood up to stretch his stiff joints.

Kaoru grimaced inwardly at the crackle of vertebrae and various other joints. 'Men,' she grumbled inwardly, allowing herself the satisfaction of rolling her eyes. Her hands fisted of their _own _accord, really.

"Stay here, I'll have someone bring breakfast up to you." he commanded, sending her a meaningful look before silently exiting.

The jerk. He exuded extreme confidence--no, arrogance from every fiber of his being. Yet, unhappily Kaoru found herself staying put. A pout began to form on her lips before she quickly banished it away with a heavy frown. Great, now she was reverting back to immaturity. Fun.

Deciding to blame any unwanted infantile tendencies that were popping up at the moment on the prior unpleasant company of Hiko Seijuro, the woman began casting about in her memory for any weaknesses she could possibly remember about the man. It had been many, many years since she had last seen him--and that was at the tender age of six. Opting to ignore the memories that wanted to spring up after that age, she dug through some more of her childhood (what little pleasant years she had had of it) and found nothing. With a sigh, she sat up to roll her neck, impatience rippling through her industrious thoughts. Suddenly, it hit her like a two-by-four over her head.

Sake.

Kaoru bit her lip in thought, crinkling her nose in aggravated distaste. The man was forever drinking the stuff, but guarded it as possessively as he did his swords and cloak. Obviously, trying to slip something in that jug he carried around wouldn't work. Forget trying to hand him something already drugged.

_Damn._

While Kaoru was upstairs furiously plotting Hiko's downfall, downstairs the doomed (in Kaoru's mind) man rapped loudly upon a nearby door, demanding his 'baka deshi' present himself.

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--END NOTES—

I think I'll be able to wrap this up in two to three more chapters, so bear with me!! Many thanks to all who have stuck with this story so far, I wouldn't have had the inspiration to continue without you guys!!

1.) Kaiten Kenbu--"Spinning-Heavenly Sword-Dance" or "The Dance Of The Wheeling Sword"

2.) Midare Benten--"Disheveled Benten"

3.) Direct quote taken from Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 15, page 59.

**Thanks everyone for reviewing!!! **

**anime.fushigi—**Thank you so much:D Next chapter Kenshin will suffer through Hiko's stay, and I agree—it should be fairly hilarious.

**hitokiri angel**—I'm sorry (once again)!!! TT.TT Like I mentioned above, there was SxM interaction that was destined to be in this chapter, but as it was cut in half… well, seeing as how next chapter will have the remaining half of this, there will definitely be a lot!! I'm _extremely_ happy that you think I'm still doing a good job with the story, and am working hard to keep it interesting. :)

**iluvchocs—**Whee!! I'm glad you liked Kaoru's moment. :3 It was a lot of fun to write!! Hiko fit the guard role perfectly, so that's where I stuck him, lol. Again, apologies for having to cut the chapter in half, but I don't think y'all would want to wait a couple more weeks for me to finish it up without posting anything. Right? (_I may be horribly wrong on this point_)

**antica—**I'm glad you liked it!!Next chapter will see all the… err, _most_ of the pairings. The main ones, anyway. :D

**wanderingwarrior**—Sorry for the late update!! It's been totally crazy over here! (_I feel like the white rabbit in Disney's _Alice in Wonderland_… "No time to say goodbye, hello! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!!_)

**mangafreak16**—(beams) It's so nice to know you love it:D Lol, thanks! I'll need a lot of luck with the future chapters…

**vtori77777—**Thank you!! At least I know I haven't scared a new reviewer away with late updates… (sweatdrop)

**Icy—**Thanks:3 I think you're probably the first to say it's a nice story. I am continuing it!! Honest!! As this is so close to being completed, I really do need to finish it.

**japanesegirl101—**(_laughs evilly while rubbing hands together_) Well, Kaoru's kind of in for it, lol, in one way or another. (_Not death, mind you!_) Sorry for the late update, and hopefully everyone will like this new chapter… or else it'll probably be curtains for me, lol.


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